category: Fiction

Unraveller

UNRAVELLER is another stunningly imaginative new world in which anyone can create a life-destroying curse – but only one person has the power to unravel them. World Rights were acquired by Macmillan Children’s in the UK, and in the US by Abrams – you can read the Bookseller announcement here.  Four of Frances’ novels are currently or have been in development for Film/TV – including DEEPLIGHT (Euston), A SKIN FULL OF SHADOWS (Calamity), THE LIE TREE, and CUCKOO SONG.

In a world where anyone can create a life-destroying curse, only one person has the power to unravel them. Kellen does not fully understand his talent, but helps those transformed maliciously—including Nettle. Recovered from entrapment in bird form, she is now his constant companion and closest ally.

But Kellen has also been cursed, and unless he and Nettle can remove his curse, Kellen is in danger of unravelling everything—and everyone—around him . . ..

Frances’ debut novel, FLY BY NIGHT, was published in 2005 to global critical acclaim. It won the Branford Boase Award in 2006 and was shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Award in the same year. The sequel, TWILIGHT ROBBERY, was shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Award in 2012. Frances’ next three novels, VERDIGRIS DEEP, GULLSTRUCK ISLAND and A FACE LIKE GLASS (shortlisted for the Kitschies in 2013) have all garnered stellar reviews. CUCKOO SONG, published in 2014, won the Robert Holdstock Award, was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. Her seventh novel, THE LIE TREE, also optioned for film/TV, was short-listed for The Guardian Fiction Award and the Carnegie Medal and went on to win the 2015 Costa Book of the Year Award, only the second time in the Award’s history that a children’s author has scooped the prize. DEEPLIGHT, published in October 2019, showcases once again Frances’ extraordinary imagination, originality and talent for world building and storytelling.

Frances is represented by Nancy Miles at Miles Stott Agency, and UNRAVELLER will be published by Macmillan in the UK on 01/09/2022, and by Amulet in the US on 10/01/2023.

In The Heart of Hidden Things

IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS is an atmospheric and enchanting coming-of-age story that mixes myth and folklore with an engrossing mystery at its core, conjuring a world that explores human virtues, conflicts and contradictions. Since its publication earlier this month, it has been receiving a brilliant response – including rave reviews in The Guardian, Daily Mail, and in SFX’s July magazine.

IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS is set in a rural community where disputes between landowners and the common folk threaten to disrupt “the People” and destroy everybody’s fragile existence. John the son of the local Smith, struggles to find his place in this reckless and hostile world and when his father and grandfather convince him that the very stability of the village depends on the containment of wild Tobias Ware, he is forced to question their motives and sets out to understand what goes on in Tobias’ heart…

A coming-of-age story in which John learns that humans can be as capricious and irrational as “the People”, that actions have consequences and that above all the human and the inhuman must learn to live alongside each other.  

Kit Whitfield grew up in London, and went to Christ’s College, Cambridge, and has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. In addition to writing, she has trained as a chef and a masseur, as well as working as a website editor, quote hunter, toy shop assistant and publisher.. She is the author of BAREBACK (published in the US as Benighted), which was shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and longlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award, and IN GREAT WATERS, which was nominated for the World Fantasy Award.

Kit is represented by Sophie Hicks, and IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS was published on 9th June by Jo Fletcher Books.

Tick Tock

Simon Mayo’s chilling new thriller, TICK TOCK, sees a mysterious tinnitus-like illness take root and start spreading like wildfire. Exciting and urgently contemporary, the piercingly insightful novel tells the story of a global catastrophe through the eyes of three people at the heart of the storm. Simon’s book series, ITCH, has been developed in to a returning series, now 2 series in, for ABC and the BBC. MAD BLOOD STIRRING is being developed as feature by Jack Thorne for House Productions. And KNIFE EDGE is in development with Kommix.

It starts quietly enough. A tick-tick-ticking you can hear in your ear. Tinnitus, you think. It will pass. But it doesn’t. It gets worse – and then you pass it on.

Before you know it, it spreads. Elsewhere across the globe, it emerges: small outbreaks at first, but then suddenly it’s a plague – and only days later it is already killing people.

In an increasingly affected north London school, teacher Kit Chaplin is struggling to understand what he is witnessing. Even Lilly Slater, his partner and an eminent vaccinologist, can’t work out what’s happening. As it spreads, little by little, they are inexorably drawn into the mystery behind the illness. And what they discover will change the world as they know it…

Simon Mayo is one of Britain’s best-loved and well-known radio presenters who worked for BBC Radio 1 from 1982 until 2022. His first novel, ITCH, was featured in The Sunday Time’s UK top 10 and was the debut children’s hardback of the year. His latest novel, KNIFE EDGE, was published in 2020. Simon is represented by Sam Copeland at RCW Literary Agency, and TICK TOCK will be published by Transworld in August 2022.

Birdgirl

BIRDGIRL is a mindful, reflective and uplifting account of a life devoted to avian observation, and an activist’s journey towards environmental and racial justice. But more than that – it is a deeply moving story about family and mental health, and how her passion has enabled her to cope with challenging life situations and unexpected trauma. It was snapped up by Jonathan Cape in a 14-way publisher auction, with the rights sold in a string of other territories including a significant US deal.

Meet Mya-Rose – otherwise known as ‘Birdgirl’. Birder, environmentalist, diversity activist. To date she has seen over five thousand different types of bird: half the world’s species.

Every single bird a treasure. Each sighting a small step in her family journey – a collective moment of joy and stillness amidst her mother’s deepening mental health crisis. And each helping her to find her voice. Since she was young, she has visited every continent to pursue her passion, seeing first-hand the inequality and reckless destruction we are inflicting on our fragile planet. And the simple, mindful act of looking for birds has made her ever-more determined to campaign for all our survival.

This is her story; a journey defined by her love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Mya-Rose Craig is a British-Bangladeshi ornithologist and campaigner for equal rights. In February 2020, she received an honorary doctorate in science  (DSc hc) from the University of Bristol – awarded for her creation of the non-profit organisation Black2Nature, which runs nature camps for black and minority ethnic children – and is said to be the youngest British person to receive such an award. She is now studying Human, Social and Political Science at the University of Cambridge. Mya-Rose is represented by Claire Paterson Conrad at Janklow and Nesbit, and BIRDGIRL was be published by Cape on 30th June 2022.

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.