category: Fiction

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.

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.

Bad Fruit

BAD FRUIT is an unforgettable portrayal of a toxic mother-daughter relationship, and a young woman’s search for truth and liberation. It was snapped up by HarperFiction in a five-way auction – you can read more about it in the Bookseller here.  It will appeal to fans of MY DARK VANESSA and Celeste Ng.

Just graduated from high school and waiting to start college at Oxford, Lily lives under the scrutiny of her volatile Singaporean mother, May, and is unable to find kinship with her elusive British father, Charlie. When May suspects that Charlie is having an affair, there’s only one thing that calms May down: a glass of perfectly spoiled orange juice served by Lily, who must always taste it first to make sure it’s just right.

As her mother becomes increasingly unhinged, Lily starts to have flashbacks that she knows aren’t her own. Over a sweltering London summer, all semblance of civility and propriety is lost, as Lily begins to unravel the harrowing history that has always cast a shadow on her mother. The horrifying secrets she uncovers will shake her family to its core, culminating in a shattering revelation that will finally set Lily free.

Beautiful and shocking, BAD FRUIT is as compulsive as it is thought-provoking, as nuanced as it is explosive. A masterful exploration of mothers and daughters, inherited trauma and the race to break its devastating cycle, BAD FRUIT will leave readers breathlessly questioning their own notions of femininity, race and redemption.

King was born to first-generation Singaporean parents and grew up in London. A graduate of Faber Academy’s “Writing A Novel” course, she came third in the Aurora Prize for Short Fiction 2019 and won the Blue Pencil Agency Pitch Prize 2019. Currently she works as a corporate lawyer in London and volunteers at anti-human trafficking and domestic violence charities. She is represented by Hellie Ogden at Janklow and Nesbitt, and BAD FRUIT will be published by HarperFiction on 18th August 2022. Penguin Randomhouse will publish in the US on August 23rd 2022.

Praise for BAD FRUIT 

“Ella King opens up the fraught space between mother and daughter to reveal both the unbearable weight of inherited traumas as well as the uncontainable desire of a heart reaching for life. Bad Fruit cuts away the skin of a family as if a daughter could be a knife slicing through lies, pain, and fear. The heart hidden beneath all the secrets is sweet. The heart hidden beneath the secrets is hers. Breathtaking.” – Lidia Yuknavitch, author of Thrust and The Chronology of Water

“Beautiful, disturbing, impossible to put down. Bad Fruit heralds a seriously impressive new talent in Ella King.” – Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of We Begin At The End

“A compelling debut that fizzes with tension from start to finish, blending the subtle erudition of literary fiction with the drama and suspense of the very best thrillers. Masterful in its evocation of the complexity of mother-daughter relationships, this is a darkly fascinating, tightly plotted narrative from a writer to watch.” —Harper’s Bazaar (UK)

“Bad Fruit is at once a beautiful and harrowing novel which explores family dynamics, and tracks a journey of self-discovery. I am blown away by Ella’s talent for writing not only wonderful prose but complex and intriguing characters.” — L.V. Matthews, author of The Prank

“Bad Fruit is a beautiful collision of mothers and daughters, human darkness and human kindness, truth and lies, remembering and forgetting, trauma and healing.” —Sarah May, author of Becky

The Dance Tree

THE DANCE TREE is set in an era of superstition, hysteria, and extraordinary change, and inspired by true events of a doomed summer. THE DANCE TREE is an impassioned story of forbidden love, family secrets and women pushed to the edge.

In Strasbourg, in the boiling hot summer of 1518, a plague strikes the women of the city. First it is just one – a lone figure, dancing in the main square – but she is joined by more and more and the city authorities declare an emergency. Musicians will be brought in. The devil will be danced out of these women.

Just beyond the city’s limits, pregnant Lisbet lives with her mother-in-law and husband, tending the bees that are their livelihood. Her best friend Ida visits regularly and Lisbet is so looking forward to sharing life and motherhood with her. And then, just as the first woman begins to dance in the city, Lisbet’s sister-in-law Nethe returns from six years’ penance in the mountains for an unknown crime. No one – not even Ida – will tell Lisbet what Nethe did all those years ago, and Nethe herself will not speak a word about it.

It is the beginning of a few weeks that will change everything for Lisbet – her understanding of what it is to love and be loved, and her determination to survive at all costs for the baby she is carrying. Lisbet and Nethe and Ida soon find themselves pushing at the boundaries of their existence – but they’re dancing to a dangerous tune…

Kiran Millwood Hargrave is the author of eight novels for children and adults. Her books for children include the award-winning The Girl of Ink & Stars, A Secret of Birds & Bone, and Julia and the Shark. Her novels for adults are the Sunday Times-bestselling The Mercies, and The Dance Tree (Picador). Between them, her books have won numerous awards including a Betty Trask Award, Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Historical Association Young Quills Award, Waterstones Children’s Gift of the Year, and the Blackwell’s Children’s Book of the Year. They have been long- or shortlisted for the Prix Femina, the Jhalak Prize, the CILIP Carnegie Award, the Branford Boase Award, the Blue Peter Best Story Award, Costa Children’s Book Prize, and Foyles’ Book of the Year, amongst others.

Kiran’s novel THE MERCIES is currently in development with New Pictures. Kiran is represented by Hellie Ogden and Janklow and Nesbitt, and THE DANCE TREE will be published by Pan Macmillan on 12th May 2022.