category: Fiction

How To Build A Boat

*Longlisted for The Booker Prize 2023*

From the prize-winning author of AS YOU WERE, HOW TO BUILD A BOAT is the story of how one boy and his mission transforms the lives of his teachers and brings together a community. It was published by Vintage in April 2023.

Jamie O’Neill loves the colour red. He also loves tall trees, patterns, rain that comes with wind, the curvature of many objects, books with dust jackets, cats, rivers and Edgar Allan Poe. At age 13 there are two things he especially wants in life: to build a Perpetual Motion Machine, and to connect with his mother Noelle, who died when he was born. In his mind these things are intimately linked. And at his new school, where all else is disorientating and overwhelming, he finds two people who might just be able to help him.

Elaine Feeney is a writer from the west of Ireland. Her 2020 debut novel, As You Were, was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Irish Novel of the Year Award, andwon the Kate O’Brien Award, the McKitterick Prize, and the Dalkey Festival Emerging Writer Award. Feeney has published three collections of poetry including The Radio Was Gospel and Rise,and her short story Sojourn was included in The Art of The Glimpse: 100 Irish Short Stories, edited by Sinéad Gleeson. Feeney lectures at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and is represented for books by Peter Straus at RCW Literary Agency.

 

The Beauty Case

THE BEAUTY CASE is a dark, elegant, genre-defying adult debut by Karen Ball, set in the glamorously debauched 1950s Hollywood. The rights were acquired by Viking in a 6-figure pre-empt and will be published in Summer 2024. You can read the Bookseller announcement here.

THE BEAUTY CASE follows Loretta, a quick-witted and plucky young woman who harbours a dubious past and is trying to succeed as a make-up artist in the misogyny-steeped world of 1950s Hollywood. It merges the escapism in the luxe debauchery of the Hollywood setting with a darker undercurrent of righteous justice.

A former Bookseller Rising Star with her publishing consultancy Speckled Pen, THE BEAUTY CASE is Ball’s debut adult novel having written more than 25 children’s books. She is represented by Katie Greenstreet at Paper Literary Agency.

Agency for Scandal

THE AGENCY FOR SCANDAL is the first in a series following a secret detective agency for young women that specialises in digging up scandal on powerful men. Reminiscent of BRIDGERTON and CHARLIE’S ANGELS, it is a brilliantly plotted and swooningly romantic story with a host of beguiling characters. It will be published in the UK by Scholastic in January 2023.

An all-female detective agency righting wrongs at the end of the nineteenth century; infiltrating a scandalous upper class world straight out of Bridgerton and using their wit and bravery to unmask a villain. Eighteen-year-old Isobel Stanhope is keeping a lot of secrets. There’s the fact that she’s head over heels in love with a Duke who doesn’t know she exists; there’s the fact that her family is penniless but nobody in society knows about it; and then there’s her job at the Aviary, an investigative agency run by women that specializes in digging up scandal on powerful men.

 

When Izzy finds herself pulled into a case that involves gaslighting, blackmail, and missing jewels, as well as the Duke who holds her heart, can she and her friends untangle the web of secrets and lies to uncover the truth and protect the innocent? And when the stakes are so high, what happens when the crush she’s been hiding begins to turn into so much more? A smart, charming, brilliantly plotted and swooningly romantic story about a collective of bold women changing their world.

Laura Wood is a bestselling author whose first novel won the Montegrappa Scholastic Prize for Children’s Writing. She mostly writes for children and young adults, and she also holds a PhD in nineteenth-century literature from the University of Warwick. She loves Georgette Heyer novels, Fred Astaire films, travelling to far flung places, recipe books, poetry, cosy woollen jumpers, crisp autumn leaves, new stationery, sensation fiction, salted caramel, feminism, Rufus Sewell’s cheek-bones, dogs, and lashings of ginger beer. Laura Wood is represented by Louise Lamont at LBA books.

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.

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.