I had a great time yesterday recording a virtual historical fiction panel for MyVLF, which will go out on April 29th. I can’t wait to read the books by Nikki Marmery, Neil Blackmore and Gill Thompson. If you haven't found MyVLF it's free and packed with literary goodies.
When so many people are suffering, it feels wrong to be joyful. But I couldn’t help a leap of the heart when there was a knock on the door this morning and a box of the hardback copies of my novel were delivered. Saw the gorgeous endpapers for the first time. So very grateful to my agent Millie Hoskins and publisher Selina Walker, and all the others who’ve worked so hard to make this happen.
In these longer days I’ve been connecting with the young Maggie Brookes by reading the letters I sent my mum from University. When mum died I found this hoard of letters. I must say I seem pretty air-headed for someone taking an English Lit degree - but maybe I was only young!
Today I’ve had to cancel the launch planned at the lovely Harbour Books in Whitstable.
Very sad, but we all need to keep safe.
The world seems to have turned upside down in the last week, with measures to step Covid 19, Coronavirus, being stepped up everywhere.
Today I was forced to cancel the London launch of The Prisoner’s Wife, due to take place in Daunt Books Marylebone - probably the most beautiful bookshop in London.
I’m so disappointed. But trying to keep a sense of perspective and think of those who have lost loved ones to this terrible virus.
Getting a kick out of seeing my book in various Instagrammers book corners. Hope they like it!
Very pleased that Lovereading have selected The Prisoner’s Wife as one of their Star Award titles:
What I’ve enjoyed reading in February: fantastical tales and paintings from Shaun Tan, author of the stunning graphic novel The Arrival; the haunting and mysterious Orkney, circling round the Selkie myth; poems inspired by Spanish art in The Other Guernica; poems about women of London in London Undercurrents; a seaside memoir in Land’s Edge and 17-syllable poems in Six-Count Jive.
This is a fun idea from Berkley, my US publisher. A sweepstakes to win a copy of The Prisoner’s Wife based on your horoscope. Click the image to enter!
Birthdays and Christmases all rolled into one. A parcel of ‘galley’ proof copies from my US publisher. Don’t they look splendid?
Happy New Year!
Delighted to report that the Spanish language rights to The Prisoner’s Wife have been bought by the Mexican office of Grupo Planeta, one of the biggest Spanish language publishing groups worldwide.
This now makes 8 languages, with rights already sold for Dutch, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Portugese and Italian editions. I can’t wait to see all their covers.
For my Amercian friends only: a Goodreads give-away of my book: https://www.goodreads.com/give…/…/301043-the-prisoner-s-wife
My lovely marketing team at Berkley have produced this wonderful banner.
The UK review (proof) copies have arrived! 420 pages. (Good job my agent Millie Hoskins had me remove 30,000 words!)
It’s beginning to feel real.
Pinch me. Am I dreaming? Or was my novel picked up by fairy-godmother agent Millie Hoskins, who waved her wand and conjured up a pre-emptive deal with the Century imprint of Penguin Random House? And did that lead to an even bigger pre-emptive deal with Berkley (Penguin Random House) in New York? And have there been publisher auctions for the novel in various other countries, leading to publishing deals in Holland, Poland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Poland and Hungary? Or is it all going to turn back into a pumpkin and six white mice?