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Blood To Poison

Blazingly original and steeped in darkly fantastical imagery, BLOOD TO POISON spins a mesmerising saga of preordained demise, South African witchcraft and apocalyptic rage through the suspenseful story of seventeen-year-old Savannah. It was published in April and has been met with fantastic praise.

Seventeen-year-old Savannah is cursed. It’s a sinister family heirloom; passed down through the bloodline for hundreds of years, with one woman in every generation destined to die young. The family call them Hella’s girls, named for their ancestor Hella; the enslaved woman with whom it all began. Hella’s girls are always angry, especially in the months before they die.

The anger is bursting from Savannah – at the men who cat-call her in the street, at her mother’s disingenuous fiancé, even at her own loving family. Each fit of rage is bringing her closer to the edge and now Savannah has to act to save herself. Or die trying. Because the key to survival lies in the underbelly of Cape Town, where the sinister veilwitches are waiting for just such a girl.

Watson grew up in Cape Town during the apartheid years and did a Master’s in creative writing with André Brink. She won the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2006 and appeared on the Hay Festival’s Africa39 list of influential writers. Blood to Poison is her third novel for young adults and the first rooted in her South African heritage.

Watson is represented for books by Claire Wilson at RCW Literary Agency, and BLOOD TO POISON was published by Bloomsbury on 14th April 2022.

The Way Back To You

THE WAY BACK TO YOU is a funny and heart-warming story of long-lost love and second chances – following a sixty-year-old widow as he cycles across France to reconnect with his childhood sweetheart. It is a charming, moving, and uplifting summer romance. James Bailey’s debut novel THE FLIP SIDE was published in 2020 is currently in development with Silverprint Pictures.

When Simon Brown reconnects on Facebook with his first love Sylvie – the French pen pal he never actually met – he is determined that this time things will be different. However, life isn’t so straight-forward at sixty as it was at sixteen. His daughter’s getting married, he’s got difficult guests staying at his B&B, and his larger-than-life school friend, Ian, has abruptly waltzed back into his life.

Adamant that he can’t let this second chance pass by, Simon sets off on a bike ride from Bristol to Bordeaux with Ian in tow, on the very same route they covered as teenagers in pursuit of love. But although they now have better bikes, more acceptable haircuts, and Google Maps, some things never change, and it soon becomes clear that this trip will have even more bumps in the road than the first.

James Bailey was born in Bristol, and currently lives and works in his home city. A graduate of King’s College London, James has previously carried the Olympic Torch, made a speech at the House of Commons, and worked as a red-carpet reporter. James’ debut novel THE FLIP SIDE was released in 2020 and is being translated into eleven languages.

James is represented for books by Hannah Ferguson at Hardman and Swainson, and THE WAY BACK TO YOU was published on 9th June 2022 by Penguin.

Girlcrush

GIRLCRUSH, Florence’s debut novel, is a feminist retelling of Jekyll and Hyde and takes the reader on a wild, haunting journey in the world of social media fame and modern womanhood. World rights were secured by Brazen and backed by a major publicity campaign, you can read more in the bookseller announcement here.

The novel follows Eartha on a wild, weird and seductive modern-day exploration as she commences life as an openly bisexual woman whilst also becoming a viral sensation on Wonder Land; a social media app where people project their dream selves online.

The distance between her online and offline self grows further and further apart until something dark happens that leads her into total self-destruction, forcing Eartha to make a choice; which version of herself should she kill off?

Florence Given is a Sunday Times bestselling author and social activist. Her first book, WOMEN DON’T OWE YOU PRETTY (Octopus, 2020) was a breakout sensation and record-breaking title. It has sold over 200,000 copies in the UK alone, and has been translated into 16 languages across the world. The book has featured over 22 times in the Sunday Times bestseller chart and Florence is the youngest author to hold a position in the top five for a consecutive three months in a row. She won Cosmopolitan’s ‘Influencer of the Year’ award in 2019 and Pink News’s ‘Influencer of the Year’ award in 2020. Her writing and art confronts the oppressive attitudes towards women and their bodies, and raises awareness of issues surrounding sexuality, consent, race and gender.

Florence is represented by Abigail Bergstrom at Bergstrom Studio.

Odd Hours

ODD HOURS is a sharp, tender, and timely excavation of the myth of a perfect life. Carrying us through suburban London with a complex yet relatable protagonist, it is a story about human connection, unexpected happiness, and the many forms of love. ODD HOURS will be published as a lead title by Welbeck later this month – you can read the Bookseller announcement here.

 

Meet Gosia: about to turn 30, she works shifts as a cashier in a well-lit budget supermarket and lives in a badly-lit Zone 3 flat share. She spends her precious spare-time trying to be an online poet if only to avoid her prying flatmate Lyndsay and the endless crossfire between her Irish mother and Polish father. She’s a sensitive soul with a filthy mind and problems with intimacy, and spends hours inside her own head. That is, until a chance encounter snaps her out of her reverie.

 

When the man of her dreams sidles up to her checkout, the quest for his affections propels Gosia to do things she has never done before. Quitting her job to become a personal trainer, she makes a very unlikely friend in Steve, invests in a self-help bible, ups her romance skills by going on practice dates, travels back to Poland, falls out with her mother and loses her job. The prickly yet warm-hearted Gosia begins her excavation of the ‘perfect’ life so many dream of. After all, could there be more to it than she imagined?

 

Ania Bas grew up in Poland and moved to the UK 15 years ago to pursue a career in the arts. She has worked with Tate, Whitechapel Gallery and others as an artist and arts organiser. She began writing ODD HOURS on the Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel’ course. ODD HOURS will be published by Welbeck on 23rd June 2022, and Ania is represented by Ben Dunn at DunnFogg literary agency.

Truly, Darkly Deeply

*This title is currently under option.*

Truly, Darkly, Deeply is a captivating, terrifying, and addictive serial killer thriller, which was pre-empted by Quercus in six-figure deal. It flips the genre, with intriguing and complex central characters.

Twelve-year-old Sophie and her mother, Amelia-Rose, move to London from Massachusetts where they meet the charismatic Matty Melgren, who quickly becomes an intrinsic part of their lives. But as the relationship between the two adults fractures, a serial killer begins targeting young women with a striking resemblance to Amelia-Rose.

When Matty is eventually sent down for multiple murder, questions remain as to his guilt – questions which ultimately destroy both women. Nearly twenty years later, Sophie receives a letter from Battlemouth Prison informing her Matty is dying and wants to meet. It looks like Sophie might finally get the answers she craves. But will the truth set her free – or bury her deeper?

Victoria Selman is the author of the critically acclaimed Ziba MacKenzie series, and her debut novel Blood for Blood was shortlisted for the prestigious CWA Debut Dagger Award and an Amazon Charts #1 bestseller for five weeks. Victoria also co-hosts a true crime podcast and writes freelance opinion pieces on true crime for the Independent.

Truly Darkly Deeply was published in July 2022 by Quercus Books. Victoria is represented for publishing by David H Headely at DHH Literary Agency.

*Currently under option*

Now You See Us

The Film/TV rights are currently under option.

In the same vein as Balli’s previous novels, NOW YOU SEE US takes a darkly humorous approach towards addressing the challenges of marginalised women, and the issues surrounding foreign domestic workers within their own diaspora community. Centring on a mystery, NOW YOU SEE US dives into the characters’ lives as mothers, daughters, lovers, and friends, revealing their rich and diverse lives, their hidden pain and their dreams. It is THE HELP meets CRAZY RICH ASIANS, with an emotional punch. Balli’s book EROTIC STORIES FOR PUNJABI WIDOWS is being developed a feature by Film4 and THE SHERGILL SISTERS is with Muse TV.

A veteran domestic worker, Cora returned to the Philippines several years ago to help to raise her teenage nephew, but the novel opens with her back in Singapore under mysterious circumstances. She’s keeping a secret from her wealthy employer, the recently widowed Elizabeth Lee, and needs to keep a low profile. 

Working as an in-home caretaker for an elderly stroke patient, Angel lives a fulfilling life in Singapore where she has a strong community of friends and a job where she feels valued. However, a recent break-up with a woman has left her feeling lonely in ways that her family cannot accept or understand.

Donita is a fresh domestic worker employed by the difficult-to-please Mrs. Tan.  She’s arrived with hopes for a better life and struggles to accept the reality of her new position.  

The three women are friends who meet on their day off, sometimes to offload horror job stories, but more often to share their hopes and aspirations, to talk and to listen. But when Florediza, another Filipina domestic worker is accused of murder, the three friends find themselves roped into a rogue investigation, despite their best efforts to avoid trouble.

Balli Kaur Jaswal is the author of five novels, including EROTIC STORIES FOR PUNJABI WIDOWS which was a Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club pick in 2018. Born in Singapore and raised in Japan, Russia and the Philippines, Jaswal studied creative writing in the United States and worked as an English teacher in Australia and Turkey. She has held fellowships at the University of East Anglia and Nanyang Technological University, where she also completed her PhD in South Asian diaspora writing. Jaswal’s non-fiction has appeared in the New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar India, Refinery29 and Salon.com, among other publications. Balli is represented by Anna Power at Johnson and Alcock, and NOW YOU SEE US will be published in UK and US by HarperFiction and William Morrow in 2023.

Small Joys

SMALL JOYS is an extraordinary debut that has been described as Sally Rooney’s NORMAL PEOPLE meets Dolly Alderton’s GHOSTS. It featured in the Bookseller as Editor’s choice, and was pre-empted by Scribner in the UK and Ballantine in the US for publication in March 2023 – you can read the announcement here. SMALL JOYS charts the evolving friendship between Harley, a Black, gay, working-class young man dealing with mental health issues, and his flatmate Muddy – who changes his life forever.

It’s 2005 in Kent and Harley is a triple threat: black, gay, and working class. Oh, and he’s just dropped out of University, after lying to his estranged dad and claiming that he was training to become a Chemical Engineer. Moving back in with his friend Chelsea, and in the midst of an unfulfilling affair with an older white man (who may or may not be a racist), he’s feeling lost. But when his attempt to finally end things is disturbed by his flatmate, Muddy, his perspective on life changes. Muddy is everything Harley isn’t: confident in his masculinity, ostensibly heterosexual, and warm and uncomplicated. Slowly their friendship blossoms as Muddy introduces Harley to things he loves – birdwatching, rugby, Oasis – and Harley starts to wonder if there is a future for him after all. In turns a moving depiction of mental health, queerness, and intersectionality as well as a laugh-out-loud funny keenly observed exploration of growing up and learning who you are.

Elvin James Mensah is a 27-year-old British-Ghanaian writer born and raised in South East London. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism from Bournemouth University, where he began writing his first novel. When not writing about blackness and queerness, he can be found voraciously explaining either the interconnectivity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to his long-suffering friends, or the everlasting cultural impact of the Spice Girls. His other hobbies include drinking copious amounts of Capri Sun and re-reading Donna Tartt and Hanya Yanigihara novels. Elvin is represented by Juliet Mushens at Mushens Entertainment, and SMALL JOYS will be published by Scribner in the UK as a lead title in March 2023.

If You Still Recognise Me

IF YOU STILL RECOGNISE ME is an epic, evocative queer romance that is also a heartfelt love letter to comics and storytelling. It is a lyrical, contemporary story that feels incredibly poignant in light of the wonderful response to Alice Oseman’s HEARTSTOPPER, and the positive impact it is having for young queer people.

Elsie has a crush on Ada, the only person in the world who truly understands her. Unfortunately, they’ve never met in real life and Ada lives an ocean away. But Elsie has decided it’s now or never to tell Ada how she feels. That is, until her long-lost best friend Joan walks back into her life.

In a summer of repairing broken connections and building surprising new ones, Elsie realises that she isn’t nearly as alone as she thought. But now she has a choice to make…

Cynthia So was born in Hong Kong and lives in London. They graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA in Classics in 2016. Their work has appeared in Uncanny, Strange Horizons and Cast of Wonders, among other places. They are also one of the new voices in PROUD, an anthology of LGBTQ+ YA stories, poems and art by LGBTQ+ creators, published by Stripes in March 2019.

I’m Sorry You Feel That Way

*This title is currently under option*

I’M SORRY YOU FEEL THAT WAY is a stiletto-sharp story of sibling misunderstandings, grappling with complex family dynamics, mental health, and the intricacies of sibling relationships. You can check out the announcement in the Bookseller here; it also featured in a Cosmopolitan article as a new release to look out for in 2022.

For Alice and Hanna, saint and sinner, growing up is a trial. There is their mother, who takes a divide and conquer approach to child-rearing, and their father, who takes an absent one. There is their older brother Michael, whose disapproval is a force to be reckoned with. There is the catastrophe that is never spoken of, but which has shaped everything.

As adults, Alice and Hanna must deal with disappointments in work and in love as well as increasingly complicated family tensions, and lives that look dismayingly dissimilar to what they’d intended. They must look for a way to repair their own fractured relationship, and they must finally choose their own approach to their dominant mother: submit or burn the house down. And they must decide at last whether life is really anything more than (as Hanna would have it) a tragedy with a few hilarious moments.

Rebecca graduated from Oxford University in 2010 with a first-class degree in English. She’s been writing since she was a child and has won numerous prizes for short stories and plays. She is the author of three novels, including Our Fathers (rivverun), which has been selected as a Waterstones paperback of the year for 2021 as well as The View on the Way Down and The Followers, both published by Picador.

Rebecca is represented by Caroline Hardman from Hardman and Swainson, and I’M SORRY YOU FEEL THAT WAY will be published by riverrun on 8th July 2022.

Salt Lick

SALT LICK by Lulu Allison is a bold, undaunted and richly imagined vision of an England filled with deserted countryside, and people both seeking the truth and fleeing from it. It was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022.

Britain is awash, the sea creeps into the land, brambles and forest swamp derelict towns. Food production has moved overseas and people are forced to move to the cities for work. The countryside is empty. A chorus, the herd voice of feral cows, wander this newly wild land watching over changing times, speaking with love and exasperation.

Jesse and his puppy Mister Maliks roam the woods until his family are forced to leave for London. Lee runs from the terrible restrictions of the White Town where he grew up. Isolde leaves London on foot, walking the abandoned A12 in search of the truth about her mother.

Lulu Allison grew up in a small village in the Chilterns. She came to writing accidentally whilst undertaking what she thought was an art project, unexpectedly discovering what she should have been doing all along. That art project became her first novel, Twice the Speed of Dark, published by Unbound in 2017. Salt Lick is her second novel, and she is working on a third, inspired by the Thomas Mann novel, Doctor Faustus. She lives in Brighton.