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Who Wants to Live Forever by Hanna Thomas Uose

What happens to loving each other forever when your soulmate decides living forever is more important?

“The best book I’ve read this year”
— Aja Barber, contributing editor at ELLE
“‘Dazzling: a cold hard reckoning with reality; a constantly surprising feat of imagination, philosophy, humanity, warmth and love.’”
— Jessica Stanley , author of forthcoming CONSIDER YOURSELF KISSED

Who Wants to Live Forever

by Hanna Thomas Uose

PUBLISHED BY BRAZEN

27 March 2024 |  Hardback  |  £16.99

What if you had the chance to remain at your exact age for the next thirty years? What if you could extend your life potentially forever?

Would you have a new lease on life, literally, and do the things you never thought you'd have time to do?

Would you be more or less ambitious because you knew time was on your side?

Would 'growing old together' with the person you love still mean something?

Yuki and Sam are soulmates.

They are destined to spend the rest of their lives together.

They are supposed to love one another, forever.

But when a miracle drug is created which can extend a human's life, indefinitely, Sam decides to live forever, rather than love Yuki forever.

What comes next is a time-bending, decades-long, world-building epic set across the globe and narrated by an intersecting cast of characters. Who Wants to Live Forever is the greatest romance you will ever read without the happily ever after.

THE AUTHOR

Hanna Thomas Uose is a British Japanese writer living in London. In 2023, she completed the MA in Prose Fiction at the University of East Anglia. In 2022, she won the Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour, was shortlisted for Orion and DHA's Space to Write Project and was selected for the Asian Women Writers mentorship programme. She has spent the last sixteen years working in advocacy and campaigns, working with organizations such as 350.org, Free Tibet, Greenpeace International, Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Level Up, Liberty, and UN Global Pulse.

X - @hannathomas / Instagram - @hannamade

Hanna is available for interview, features and events.

Talking points / feature ideas:

  • The quest for immortality in the modern world

  • How to navigate life without ‘milestones’ after the age of 40 (and when your communities diverge from those of your friends)

  • Young women and anti-aging procedures (and ageing and the workplace)

  • Why it is that men seem more obsessed with immortality

  • Publishing after 40

“‘Who Wants to Live Forever probes and searches like the best fiction does. Powerful. Highly compelling”
— Iain Russell Hseih
“A timeless romance and a bold, inventive novel”
— Ela Lee author of Jaded
“A beautifully written book with a genius concept ”
— Louise Hare
“Who Wants To Live Forever is an utterly convincing — and frighteningly plausible — vision of our very-near future. Hanna Thomas Uose spins vivid, compelling human drama from vast philosophical questions with wit, elegance and verve.”
— Lisa Owens author of Not Working and forthcoming Natural Disaster
“This is a must-read book for 2025, especially for fans of Gabrielle Zevin and Kim Stanley Robinson. ”
— Julianne Pachico

For further information please contact:

EMMA FINNIGAN PR

07870 210468 | emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | www.emmafinniganpr.co.uk

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Visualise: Think, Feel, Perform Like the Top 1% by Maya Raichoora

Do you know how to manage your emotions? Do you know how to rewire your brain to be more confident? Can you reach your goals without burning out? 

Visualisation is a neurological mental training technique that rewires the brain using your thoughts and imagination for a deliberate outcome. 

It has been used by elite athletes and performers for decades and now #1 visualisation expert Maya Raichoora will teach you the five visualisation techniques to retrain your brain.  In just 7-10 minutes a day, you can take control of the way you think, feel and perform.

Visualise

Think, Feel, Perform Like the Top 1%

by Maya Raichoora

Hardback non-fiction / Rider Books, Ebury / 27 March 2025 / £16.99

FIVE VISUALISATION TECHNIQUES TO MASTER YOUR MIND, BUILD CONFIDENCE AND ENHANCE PERFORMANCE

We all have habits, thoughts and behaviours that hold us back from reaching our fullest potential. In Visualise, Maya Raichoora shows you how to harness the power of visualisation to rewire and retrain your brain so you can take control of the way you think, feel and perform.

 Drawing on neuroscience, sports psychology, the author’s personal experience and compelling case studies, this book presents five tangible and easy-to-implement visualisation techniques that will help you boost your productivity, achieve your goals and create the best version of yourself. If the best athletes in the world can use it, why can’t we?

ABOUT Maya Raichoora

Maya Raichoora is one of the UK’s leading mental fitness and visualisation experts. She is an award-winning entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Remap Mental Fitness and host of monthly Mental Fitness Live.

 Maya has also just signed as Nike’s first ever mental fitness and visualisation trainer. Day to day she works with global companies like Amex, LEGO, PWC and Puig. Because of her unique expertise and experience, she is also a coach to elite athletes, executives and business owners. 

 Maya has a decade of experience mastering the technique of visualisation and is on a mission to share it with others. As a two-time TEDx speaker and public figure, her story and expertise has the power to inspire, empower and educate the masses. She currently reaches 10 million people online each month. Maya lives in London and is available for interview, features and events. Follow Maya on instagram at @maya.mental.fitness

Talking points / feature ideas:

  • Maya’s personal story – how her mindset and visualisation techniques helped her reframe the management of her chronic pain

  • From the changing rooms at Wimbledon to the sidelines of premier league football matches, how Maya coaches athletes to succeed

  • From Tiger Woods and Mo Salah to Walt Disney and Nikola Tesla - the science behind visualising your goals to achieve success – and how it will re-wire your brain

  • The potential power of Negative Visualisation and why ‘always think positive’ is a myth

  • How to build a visualisation habit

  • The scientific power of self-belief 

  • Why visualisation is the new manifesting

  • Visualisation versus meditation, mindfulness and manifestation

  • Mental health versus Mental Fitness, and why it’s crucial to train our minds as well as our bodies

  • Why high performance is not just about achieving extraordinary results, it is about process, sustainability and balance

  • How to use visualisation techniques in your relationships, to reduce stress and manage tricky conversations

The 5 Techniques:

  • Process: Mentally rehearsing a task to make it faster/easier/smarter. E.g. a golf swing, rehearsing your to-do list, public speaking.

  • Creative: Using visualisation to make an emotion/feeling/sensation tangible. This is extremely beneficial for managing emotions, reducing pain and working on a cellular level.

  • Negative: Visualising the worst-case scenario/challenges to help you feel more prepared and motivated. This one is used with caution. Included in this is the death bed visualisation which helps you to make life-changing decisions.

  • Explorative/Receptive: This is where there is no specific goal or outcome, you are using your mind like a whiteboard. Used by the likes of Walt Disney/Nikola Tesla – it is great for creating content, ideas and pursuing goals.

  • Outcome: Mentally rehearsing the results in advance. When repeated, this rewires the brain and increases motivation.

For further information please contact:

EMMA FINNIGAN PR

07870 210468 | emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | @emmafinnigan | www.emmafinniganpr.co.uk

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Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts by Oliver Burkeman

“Full of wisdom and comfort…a really important book about embracing truth and reality which will help a lot of people leave their fantasies and dive into real life”
— Chris Van Tulleken , author of Ultra-Processed People
“Oliver Burkeman has a way of giving you the most unexpected productivity advice exactly when you need it”
— Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.
“Meditations for Mortals offers a practical path toward personal transformation … A must-read”
— Cal Newport, author of Slow Productivity

Meditations for Mortals:

Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts

by Oliver Burkeman
Hardback / 12 September 2024 / Vintage

Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman’s breakout international bestseller, touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of readers. Inspired and moved by Burkeman’s investigation into how to live unblinkingly in the face of our limited time on earth, some of them changed their lives: they made big decisions to rethink careers, relationships, priorities, and misguided assumptions about productivity.

Meditations for Mortals takes us on a liberating journey towards a more meaningful life – one that begins not with fantasies of the ideal existence, but with the reality in which we actually find ourselves.

Addressing the fundamental questions about how to live, it offers a powerful new way to take action on what counts: a guiding philosophy of life Oliver Burkeman calls ‘imperfectionism’. How can we embrace our non-negotiable limitations? Or make good decisions when there’s always too much to do? What if purposeful productivity were often about letting things happen, not making them happen?

Reflecting on ideas drawn from philosophy, religion, literature, psychology, and self-help, Burkeman explores practical tools and shifts in perspective. The result is a bracing challenge to much familiar advice, and a profound yet entertaining crash course in living more fully.

To be read either as a four-week ‘retreat of the mind’ or devoured in one or two sittings, Meditations for Mortals will be a source of solace and inspiration, and an aid to a saner, freer, and more enchantment-filled life. In anxiety-inducing times, it is rich in truths we have never needed more.

ABOUT OLIVER Burkeman

Oliver Burkeman is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Four Thousand Weeks and The Antidote, and for many years wrote a popular weekly column on psychology for the Guardian, 'This Column Will Change Your Life'. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Psychologies and New Philosopher.

He has a devoted following for his writing on productivity, mortality, the power of limits, and building a meaningful life in an age of bewilderment. For more information - oliverburkeman.com

Selected Praise for Four Thousand Weeks

 'Perfectly pitched somewhere between practical self-help and philosophical quest' - Observer

'Full of such sage and sane advice, delivered with dry wit and a benevolent tone' - Guardian

'Life is finite. You don't have to fit everything in... Read this book and wake up to a new way of thinking and living’ - Emma Gannon

'Every sentence is riven with gold’ - Chris Evans

'Comforting, fascinating, engaging, inspiring and useful' - Marian Keyes

‘Four Thousand Weeks is a book to read and re-read, to absorb and reflect on. Compassionate, funny and wise, it has not left my mind since I read it. The modern world teaches us to pretend to be immortal - this book is a dip in the cold, clear waters of reality, returning us refreshed and alive.’ - Naomi Alderman, author of The Power

Oliver will be speaking at events around publication:

  • Edinburgh International Festival – 24 August

  • City Screen Picturehouse, York (Waterstones) – 10 September

  • Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, Bath – 11 September

  • How To Academy (at the Royal Geographical Society) – 12 September

  • Cambridge Literary Festival – 17 September

  • Cheltenham Literary Festival – 8 October

  • Durham Literary Festival – 13 October

  • Wimbledon BookFest – 20 October

  • Toppings, Edinburgh – 6 November

  • Stroud Festival – 7 November

  • Berwins Salon North – 13 February 2025

With more to be confirmed

For further information please contact:

EMMA FINNIGAN PR

07870 210468 | emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | @emmafinnigan | www.emmafinniganpr.co.uk

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HIP-HOP IS HISTORY BY QUESTLOVE WITH BEN GREENMAN

WHITE RABBIT TO PUBLISH

HIP-HOP IS HISTORY, BY QUESTLOVE WITH BEN GREENMAN

Hip-HOP is History

By QuestLove WITH BEN GREENMAN

White Rabbit / HB / Audio / E-Book / 11 June 2024

Questlove’s Hip-Hop is History has been acquired by Lee Brackstone, Publisher at White Rabbit. Brackstone has acquired UK & Commonwealth rights from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

This is a book only Questlove could have written: a perceptive and personal reflection on the first half-century of hip-hop.

When hip-hop first emerged in the 1970s, it wasn’t expected to become the cultural force it is today. But for a young Black kid growing up in a musical family in Philadelphia, it was everything. He stayed up late to hear the newest songs on the radio. He saved his money to buy vinyl as soon as it landed. He even started to try to make his own songs. That kid was Questlove, and decades later, he is a six-time Grammy Award–winning musician, an Academy Award–winning filmmaker, a New York Times bestselling author, a producer, an entrepreneur, a cofounder of one of hip-hop’s defining acts (the Roots), and the genre’s unofficial in-house historian.

In this landmark book, Hip-Hop Is History, Questlove skilfully traces the creative and cultural forces that made and shaped hip-hop, highlighting both the forgotten but influential gems and the undeniable chart-topping hits—and weaves it all together with the stories no one else knows. It is at once an intimate, sharply observed story of a cultural revolution and a sweeping, grand theory of the evolution of the great artistic movement of our time. And Questlove, of course, approaches it with not only the encyclopaedic fluency and passion of an obsessive fan but also the expertise and originality of an innovative participant.

Hip-hop is history, and also his history.

Academy Award-winning filmmaker, drummer, DJ, producer, director, culinary entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and member of The Roots – Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, is the unmistakable heartbeat of Philadelphia’s most influential hip-hop group. He is the Musical Director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where his beloved Roots crew serves as house band. Beyond that, this 6-time GRAMMY Award winning musician's indisputable reputation has landed him musical directing positions for everyone from D'Angelo to Jay-Z. Questlove made his directorial debut with the Academy Award winning feature documentary Summer of Soul. The movie broke the record for the highest-selling documentary to come out of Sundance, and it has since gone on to win “Best Feature Documentary” at the 2022 Academy Awards, “Best Documentary” at the 2022 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) and “Best Music Film” at the 2022 Grammy Awards, as well as a Peabody Award. In addition, Summer of Soul was crowned the “Best Movie of 2021” by The New York Times and included among the “best of the year” by The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, TIME Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone and more. Outside of Summer of Soul, Questlove partnered together with Black Thought of The Roots to launch a production company, Two One Five Entertainment. Together, the pair announced a first-look deal with Universal Television to develop scripted and non-scripted programming. In 2022, the company executive produced the acclaimed feature documentary Descendant about the historic discovery of The Clotilda—the last known slave ship to arrive in America illegally transporting enslaved Africans. The documentary, which made its world premiere at Sundance in 2022, was acquired by Netflix and Higher Ground—President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company. The film earned an impressive three nominations for “Best Documentary Feature,” “Best Director,” and “Best Historical Documentary” and took home the award for “Best Historical Documentary” at the 2022 Critics Choice Documentary Awards. It also received a nomination for “Outstanding Documentary” for the 2023 NAACP Image Awards and was also named one of the “Top 5 Documentaries” of 2022 by the National Board of Review. Questlove’s web series, Quest for Craft, produced by Two One Five and launched in partnership with the single malt whiskey brand, The Balvenie, took home a Webby Award in 2023. Up next, Questlove will make his feature film directing debut with a live-action hybrid reimagining of The Aristocats for Walt Disney Studios. Two One Five is set to produce the film alongside Olive Bridge. Questlove has written multiple books, including the New York Times bestsellers Mo’ Meta Blues, Creative Quest, Music is History, and The Rhythm of Time, as well as the GRAMMY nominated audio books Music Is History and Creative Quest. Expanding his literary endeavors, in 2023 he launched his own book imprint, AUWA Books, within MCD Books, a publishing division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The imprint will publish both nonfiction and fiction on a wide range of topics.

Ben Greenman is a New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker contributor who has written both fiction and nonfiction. His novels and short-story collections include The Slippage and Superbad. He has been Questlove's collaborator on a series of books, including Mo’ Meta Blues, Creative Quest, and Music Is History, and he has written memoirs with Sly Stone, George Clinton, and Brian Wilson. His writing has appeared in numerous publications.

Publisher Lee Brackstone said: ‘If you had to choose any practitioner and writer in the world to write a personal history of hip hop, arguably the greatest art form of the late twentieth century, it would be Questlove of The Roots. Written to recognise the 50th anniversary of hip hop’s birth in the Bronx, Hip Hop is History is a landmark publication for White Rabbit, a book that will surely become the canonical work on the genre, its origins, many mutations and superstars. This book will be in print for decades, enrich your musical lexicon, remind you of artists you loved but have forgotten, and introduce you to pioneers you’d heard of but perhaps neglected. A masterpiece.’

All press enquiries should be directed to:

Emma Finnigan emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk , Sarah Bennie sarah@sarahbennie.com or Francesca Pearce francesca.pearce@orionbooks.co.uk

The contact for Questlove’s team is Carleen Donovan carleen@theoriel.co

White Rabbit is dedicated to publishing the most innovative books and voices in music and literature and creating magic from the alchemical reaction where these two things meet. Led by Publisher, Lee Brackstone, White Rabbit publishes titles encompassing memoir, history, fiction, translation, traditional pop culture, lyrics, illustrated books and high-spec limited editions. Since launching in spring 2020, White Rabbit has published several Sunday Times Bestsellers (including the likes of Mark Lanegan’s Sing Backwards and Weep, Carl Cox’s Oh Yes! Oh Yes!, Chris Frantz’s Remain in Love, and Ten Thousand Apologies by Lias Saoudi and Adelle Stripe), and established itself as the go-to destination for books emerging from and celebrating the counter-culture. Feed Your Head!

 The Orion Publishing Group
Where every story matters.

The Orion Publishing Group is one of the UK’s leading publishers. Our mission is to bring the best publishing to the greatest variety of people. Open, agile, passionate and innovative – we believe that everyone will find something they love at Orion.

Founded in 1991, the Orion Publishing Group today publishes under nine main imprints: Gollancz, the UK’s No.1 science fiction and fantasy imprint; Laurence King Publishing, one of the world’s leading publishers of books and gifts on the creative arts; Orion Fiction, a heartland for brilliant commercial fiction; Orion Spring, home of wellbeing and health titles written by passionate celebrities and world-renowned experts; Seven Dials, for the very best commercial non-fiction, beautifully designed and produced; Trapeze for commercial fiction and non-fiction books that start conversations; Phoenix, a bespoke imprint publishing fiction and memoir that combine literary merit and commercial potential; Weidenfeld & Nicolson, one of the most prestigious and dynamic literary imprints in British and international publishing; and White Rabbit, dedicated to publishing the most innovative books and voices in music and literature.

The Orion Publishing Group is part of Hachette UK which is a leading UK trade publishing group.

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DIVINE MIGHT: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes - Paperback

'Natalie Haynes is the nation's great muse' - Adam Rutherford

‘Haynes is a master of her trade... She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories.’ – Daily Telegraph

‘Natalie Haynes is beyond brilliant.’ – Amanda Foreman

‘[Haynes] deftly drags the classics into the modern world.’ – Kate Atkinson

‘[Haynes is] the great champion of women in Greek myth…One of the delights of the book is that Haynes reacquaints us with forgotten goddesses.’ – Daily Mail on Divine Might

 ‘another beauty of a book…her zingy, lively style will bring these myths to a new, younger audience, especially girls…One of the great joys in Haynes’s work is her use of ancient art and poetry to explain the stories of these goddesses.’ - Herald on Divine Might

‘Natalie Haynes’ Divine Might will shed a new light on the goddesses whose stories have been told countless times, but perhaps never in this way…a powerful read that really opens a new dialogue on the Greek goddesses and will leave you feeling like you understand their stories in a way you haven’t before.’ - Independent on Divine Might

Divine Might

Goddesses in Greek Myth

by Natalie Haynes
Paperback / 2 May 2024 / Picador / £10.99

In Divine Might Natalie Haynes, author of the bestselling Pandora’s Jar, returns to the world of Greek myth and this time she examines the role of the goddesses.

We meet Athene, who sprang fully formed from her father’s head: goddess of war and wisdom, guardian of Athens. We run with Artemis, goddess of hunting and protector of young girls (apart from those she decides she wants as a sacrifice). Here is Aphrodite, goddess of sex and desire – there is no deity more determined and able to make you miserable if you annoy her. And then there’s the queen of all the Olympian gods: Hera, Zeus’s long-suffering wife, whose jealousy of his dalliances with mortals, nymphs and goddesses lead her to wreak elaborate, vicious revenge on those who have wronged her.

We also meet Demeter, goddess of agriculture and mother of the kidnapped Persephone, we sing the immortal song of the Muses and we warm ourselves with Hestia, goddess of the hearth and sacrificial fire. The Furies carry flames of another kind – black fires of vengeance for those who incur their wrath.

 These goddesses are as mighty, revered and destructive as their male counterparts. Isn’t it time we looked beyond the columns of a ruined temple to the awesome power within?

ABOUT NATALIE HAYNES

Natalie Haynes is a writer and broadcaster. She is the author of novels THE AMBER FURY, shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize; THE CHILDREN OF JOCASTA, a feminist retelling of the Oedipus and Antigone stories; A THOUSAND SHIPS (shortlisted for the Women’s Prize), a retelling of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective and STONE BLIND a re-telling of the Medusa story (long listed for the Women’s Prize); and non-fiction books THE ANCIENT GUIDE TO MODERN LIFE and PANDORA’S JAR about the women in Greek myths. She has written and presented seven series of the BBC Radio 4 show, NATALIES HAYNES STANDS UP FOR THE CLASSICS. In 2015, she was awarded the Classical Association Prize for her work in bringing Classics to a wider audience.

Selected Praise for PANDORA’S JAR

 'Hugely enjoyable and witty' - Guardian

'Haynes is a brilliant classicist as well as a stand-up comedian and with her latest offering, Pandora's Jar, she has effectively written the first textbook codifying this new feminist take on the Greek myths.' - Neil Mackay, Herald

‘Haynes…puts the women of Greek myths on equal footing with the menfolk in an exploration of their stories, motivations and myths. Written in Haynes’ immediately gripping and readable style, we get the stories of Medea – a seriously powerful girl – who ends up betrayed by Jason as well as deep dive into the stories of The Amazons, Penelope and Phaedra to name a few. Both fascinating and incredibly researched if you want to catch up on your Greek myths, this is the place to start.’ - Stylist

‘Beyoncé, Star Trek, Ray Harryhausen ...  the most enjoyable book about Greek myths you will ever read, absolutely brimming with subversive enthusiasm.’ - Mark Haddon

‘Natalie Haynes is beyond brilliant. Pandora’s Jar is a treasure box of classical delights. Never has ancient misogyny been presented with so much wit and style.’ - Amanda Foreman

‘Funny, sharp explications of what these sometimes not-very-nice women were up to, and how they sometimes made idiots of... but read on!’ - Margaret Atwood

Selected Praise for STONE BLIND

'Witty, gripping, ruthless' – Margaret Atwood via Twitter

'Beautiful and moving' – Neil Gaiman

‘A fierce feminist exploration of female rage, written with wit and empathy’ Glamour

‘Haynes’ clever, empathetic writing transforms Medusa from Gorgon into a girl, who’s a victim of the cruel machinations of the gods and of circumstance.’ Red

‘brilliant and compellingly readable.’ Observer

‘feminist, funny and thought provoking.’ Mail on Sunday

‘Stone Blind is inventive and playful. There is a debt to Aristophanes; the depiction of the absurdities of the bickering gods is very funny’ Times

For further information please contact:

EMMA FINNIGAN PR

07870 210468 | emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | @emmafinnigan | www.emmafinniganpr.co.uk

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DIVINE MIGHT: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes

'Natalie Haynes is the nation's great muse' - Adam Rutherford

‘Haynes is a master of her trade... She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories.’ – Daily Telegraph

‘Natalie Haynes is beyond brilliant.’ – Amanda Foreman

‘[Haynes] deftly drags the classics into the modern world.’ – Kate Atkinson

Divine Might

Goddesses in Greek Myth

by Natalie Haynes
Hardback / 28 September 2023 / Picador / £20

In Divine Might Natalie Haynes, author of the bestselling Pandora’s Jar, returns to the world of Greek myth and this time she examines the role of the goddesses.

We meet Athene, who sprang fully formed from her father’s head: goddess of war and wisdom, guardian of Athens. We run with Artemis, goddess of hunting and protector of young girls (apart from those she decides she wants as a sacrifice). Here is Aphrodite, goddess of sex and desire – there is no deity more determined and able to make you miserable if you annoy her. And then there’s the queen of all the Olympian gods: Hera, Zeus’s long-suffering wife, whose jealousy of his dalliances with mortals, nymphs and goddesses lead her to wreak elaborate, vicious revenge on those who have wronged her.

We also meet Demeter, goddess of agriculture and mother of the kidnapped Persephone, we sing the immortal song of the Muses and we warm ourselves with Hestia, goddess of the hearth and sacrificial fire. The Furies carry flames of another kind – black fires of vengeance for those who incur their wrath.

 These goddesses are as mighty, revered and destructive as their male counterparts. Isn’t it time we looked beyond the columns of a ruined temple to the awesome power within?

ABOUT NATALIE HAYNES

Natalie Haynes is a writer and broadcaster. She is the author of novels THE AMBER FURY, shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize; THE CHILDREN OF JOCASTA, a feminist retelling of the Oedipus and Antigone stories; A THOUSAND SHIPS (shortlisted for the Women’s Prize), a retelling of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective and STONE BLIND a re-telling of the Medusa story (long listed for the Women’s Prize); and non-fiction books THE ANCIENT GUIDE TO MODERN LIFE and PANDORA’S JAR about the women in Greek myths. She has written and presented seven series of the BBC Radio 4 show, NATALIES HAYNES STANDS UP FOR THE CLASSICS. In 2015, she was awarded the Classical Association Prize for her work in bringing Classics to a wider audience.

Selected Praise for PANDORA’S JAR

 'Hugely enjoyable and witty' - Guardian

‘Agile, rich, subversive, Pandora's Jar proves that the classics are far from dead, and keep evolving with us.' - Madeleine Feeny, Mail on Sunday

'Haynes is a brilliant classicist as well as a stand-up comedian and with her latest offering, Pandora's Jar, she has effectively written the first textbook codifying this new feminist take on the Greek myths.' - Neil Mackay, Herald

‘Haynes…puts the women of Greek myths on equal footing with the menfolk in an exploration of their stories, motivations and myths. Written in Haynes’ immediately gripping and readable style, we get the stories of Medea – a seriously powerful girl – who ends up betrayed by Jason as well as deep dive into the stories of The Amazons, Penelope and Phaedra to name a few. Both fascinating and incredibly researched if you want to catch up on your Greek myths, this is the place to start.’ - Stylist

‘Beyoncé, Star Trek, Ray Harryhausen ...  the most enjoyable book about Greek myths you will ever read, absolutely brimming with subversive enthusiasm.’ - Mark Haddon

‘Natalie Haynes is beyond brilliant. Pandora’s Jar is a treasure box of classical delights. Never has ancient misogyny been presented with so much wit and style.’ - Amanda Foreman

‘Witty, erudite and subversive, this takes the women of Greek myth—the women who are sidelined, vilified, misunderstood or ignored—and puts them centre stage.’ - Samantha Ellis

‘Funny, sharp explications of what these sometimes not-very-nice women were up to, and how they sometimes made idiots of... but read on!’ - Margaret Atwood

Selected Praise for STONE BLIND

'Witty, gripping, ruthless' – Margaret Atwood via Twitter

'Beautiful and moving' – Neil Gaiman

‘A fierce feminist exploration of female rage, written with wit and empathy’ Glamour

‘Haynes’ clever, empathetic writing transforms Medusa from Gorgon into a girl, who’s a victim of the cruel machinations of the gods and of circumstance.’ Red

‘brilliant and compellingly readable.’ Observer

‘feminist, funny and thought provoking.’ Mail on Sunday

‘Stone Blind is inventive and playful. There is a debt to Aristophanes; the depiction of the absurdities of the bickering gods is very funny’ Times

‘With wit, humanity and extraordinary imagination, Haynes breathes life and meaning into myths as she has done so brilliantly before.’ iPaper

For further information please contact:

EMMA FINNIGAN PR

07870 210468 | emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | @emmafinnigan | www.emmafinniganpr.co.uk

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The Maverick: George Weidenfeld and the Golden Age of Publishing by Thomas Harding

The story of the famed publisher George Weidenfeld, who transformed not only publishing but the culture of ideas, from his struggles as an Austrian-Jewish refugee in London to his rise as a world-renowned literary figure.

‘The Maverick anchors George Weidenfeld as one of the foremost influencers in modern literature and a man who rose from extraordinary circumstances to lead an even more extraordinary life.
A treasure trove of insight and history’

Arianna Huffington

 ‘A fascinating biography of an unlikely cultural hero. I couldn't put it down’

Alan Posener, journalist for Die Welt

 ‘Thomas Harding has doggedly unearthed fascinating and surprising tales from George Weidenfeld's life as he rose from poverty and Nazi persecution to become one of the world's most powerful publishers. Harding reveals a complex personality in a richly told narrative that leaves the reader awed’

Lynn Medford, former editor, Washington Post Magazine

‘George Weidenfeld was a titan of a man, an irresistible character and something of a genius.
This book does him full justice’

Simon Heffer, author of The Age of Decadence and High Minds‘

‘Like George Weidenfeld himself, Thomas Harding's accomplishment is substantial, lively, and full of interest. The Maverick is a fine biography’

Henry Kissinger

The Maverick
George Weidenfeld and the Golden Age of Publishing
Thomas Harding
Weidenfeld & Nicolson / HB / 31 August 2023 / £25, ebook and audio £21.99

After arriving in London just before the Second World War as a penniless and friendless Austrian-Jewish refugee, George Weidenfeld went on to transform not only the world of publishing but the culture of ideas. The books that he published include momentous titles such as Lolita, Double Helix, The Group and The Hedgehog and the Fox, with authors he championed ranging from Joan Didion, Mary McCarthy, Golda Meir and Edna O'Brien to Henry Miller, Harold Wilson, Saul Bellow and Henry Kissinger.

In this first biography, Thomas Harding provides a full, unvarnished and at times difficult history of a complex and fascinating character. Throughout his long career, George Weidenfeld was written about in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, Vanity Fair and other publications. Was he, as described by some, the ‘greatest salesperson’, ‘the world’s best networker’, ‘the publisher’s publisher’ and ‘a great intellectual’? Was his lifelong effort to be the world’s most famous host a cover for his desperate loneliness? Who, in fact, was the real George Weidenfeld and how did he rise so successfully within the ranks of London and New York society?

Drawing on author correspondence, internal memos, and other documents buried deep in the secret publishing files of Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Harding crafts a portrait of the publisher’s life that is inextricable from the efforts and intricacies of putting a book into the world. Structured around twenty books associated with George Weidenfeld and intercut with explorations of contemporary concerns such as the right to publish, freedom of speech and separating the art from the artist, The Maverick tells the captivating story behind the life of this iconic publisher.

Covering topics such as democracy, identity, the plight of refugees, globalism, the liberal international order, tension in the Middle East, inter-generational trauma and reconciliation, and dialogue between faiths, the issues that George Weidenfeld faced are still as current and relevant today.

ABOUT ME THOmas harding

Thomas Harding is a bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than sixteen languages. He has written for the Sunday Times, the Washington Post and the Guardian, among other publications. His books include Hanns and Rudolf, which won the JQ-Wingate Prize for Non-Fiction; The House by the Lake, which was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award; Blood on the Page, which won the Crime Writers’ Association ‘Golden Dagger Award for Non-Fiction’ and White Debt: The Demerara Uprising and Britain’s Legacy of Slavery.

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The Infertile Midwife: In Search of Motherhood - A Memoir by Sophie Martin

An insightful, moving memoir, capturing life working as a midwife in a busy NHS hospital at the same time as dealing with experiences of infertility, IVF and loss.

“A vital, heartfelt read for anyone navigating the rough seas of infertility and pregnancy loss.” – LEAH HAZARD

“This beautifully written tender book has for me, captured so much of what I experienced and when women share, it’s incredibly comforting and empowering… I hope [Sophie’s] book – as a medical professional, individual and mother – plays a part in the women’s healthcare revolution that the world so needs.” – MELISSA HEMSLEY

The Infertile Midwife

In Search of Motherhood - A Memoir

by Sophie Martin
Hardback | 31 August 2023 | Hardie Grant | £16.99

As a young married couple, Sophie Martin and her husband spent years trying to conceive. They went through several rounds of IVF, at great expense, and even travelled overseas for treatment, never quite knowing whether they would one day have a family. Alongside this, Sophie was working hard at a job she loved: looking after expectant mothers and newborn babies as a midwife in a busy hospital, where the patients’ daily new additions were a constant reminder of Sophie’s own setbacks in pursuit of motherhood.

The Infertile Midwife is a deeply personal, moving account of chasing something that you want so desperately. It also offers a much-needed look at how society treats infertility – from the language we use to the small talk we make – and the ways in which we can all do more to make things better for hopeful parents. With great warmth and honesty, Sophie shares her experiences of the bursts of hope and moments of great loss, but also the humour, love and joy that can be found in even the darkest places..

ABOUT Sophie Martin

Sophie Martin is a registered midwife and worked in a Central London hospital for ten years before moving to a hospital in Essex. Her wider experience of infertility and baby loss informs her practice and has led to her being approached by organisations such as Emma’s Diary and My Surrogacy Journey to provide a professional overview for them. For the past three years, Sophie has curated and delivered a series of online talks and interviews to coincide with Baby Loss Awareness Week. Her interview with Elizabeth Day on infertility and baby loss was watched 17,500 times.

Sophie lives in Essex with her husband and their young son.

Follow Sophie on @the.infertile.midwife

“Sophie’s words provide a supportive lighthouse of hope for many. She is gifted at starting and facilitating the conversations ensuring those who feel like they sit in the shadows of other people’s celebrations are supported, seen and validated. She holds up a microphone to the stories that need to be heard, generously sharing her own along the way.” ANNA MATHUR

“An important, insightful book for midwives and anyone interested in birth…Well written, deeply personal [it’s] a story that will resonate with many readers. This is an important story to tell, and highlights, also, the importance of language used around birth.” ANNA KENT Midwife, Aid worker, Author of Frontline Midwife

Talking points and feature ideas

  • The importance of language, and changes that should be made within the NHS – including how to talk about medical conditions without portioning blame or shame to the individual.

  • Training and support needed for healthcare professionals around babyloss and infertility.

  • Complex PTSD and support needed for midwives going through babyloss / infertility themselves.

  • Sophie’s story and her drive to become a midwife and how maternity services can have a deep and lasting impact on the experiences of families.

  • How to speak to families who are going through babyloss and infertility, and how to support friends or family who are living through this.

  • IVF and what to expect. What the process entails, both emotionally and physically.

  • Grief, trauma and the effect on the body.

  • How to cope with infertility and babyloss as a family – how men or the non-biological partner may experience loss.

  • Pregnancy after loss and the intense emotions and need for support during this time.

  • The reality of having a child after loss, and reaching bittersweet milestones.

For further information please contact:

EMMA FINNIGAN PR

07870 210468 | emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | @emmafinnigan | www.emmafinniganpr.co.uk

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Stone Blind: Medusa’s Story by Natalie Haynes

'Witty, gripping, ruthless' – Margaret Atwood via Twitter

'Beautiful and moving' – Neil Gaiman

‘A fierce feminist exploration of female rage, written with wit and empathy’ – Glamour

‘Haynes’ clever, empathetic writing transforms Medusa from Gorgon into a girl, who’s a victim of the cruel machinations of the gods and of circumstance.’ – Red

‘brilliant and compellingly readable.’ – Observer

‘feminist, funny and thought provoking.’ – Mail on Sunday

‘Stone Blind is inventive and playful. There is a debt to Aristophanes; the depiction of the absurdities of the bickering gods is very funny’ – Times

‘With wit, humanity and extraordinary imagination, Haynes breathes life and meaning into myths as she has done so brilliantly before.’ – iPaper

Stone Blind

Medusa’s Story

by Natalie Haynes
Paperback / 8 June 2023 / Picador / £9.99

Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023

In Stone Blind, the instant Sunday Times bestseller, Natalie Haynes brings the infamous Medusa to life as you have never seen her before.

‘So to mortal men, we are monsters. Because of our flight, our strength. They fear us, so they call us monsters’

Medusa is the sole mortal in a family of gods. Growing up with her Gorgon sisters, she begins to realize that she is the only one who experiences change, the only one who can be hurt.

When Poseidon commits an unforgiveable act against Medusa in the temple of Athene, the goddess takes her revenge where she can: on his victim. Medusa is changed forever – writhing snakes for hair and her gaze now turns any living creature to stone. She can look at nothing without destroying it.

Desperate to protect her beloved sisters, Medusa condemns herself to a life of shadows. Until Perseus embarks upon a quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .

ABOUT NATALIE HAYNES

Natalie Haynes is a writer and broadcaster. She is the author of novels THE AMBER FURY, shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize; THE CHILDREN OF JOCASTA, a feminist retelling of the Oedipus and Antigone stories; A THOUSAND SHIPS (shortlisted for the Women’s Prize), a retelling of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective and STONE BLIND a re-telling of the Medusa story (long listed for the Women’s Prize); and non-fiction books THE ANCIENT GUIDE TO MODERN LIFE and PANDORA’S JAR about the women in Greek myths. DIVINE MIGHT: GODDESSES IN GREEK MYTH will be published in September. She has written and presented seven series of the BBC Radio 4 show, NATALIES HAYNES STANDS UP FOR THE CLASSICS. In 2015, she was awarded the Classical Association Prize for her work in bringing Classics to a wider audience.

For further information please contact:

EMMA FINNIGAN PR

07870 210468 | emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | @emmafinnigan | www.emmafinniganpr.co.uk

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Road to Surrender by Evan Thomas

A riveting, immersive account of the agonizing decision to use nuclear weapons against Japan – a crucial turning point in World War II and geopolitical history by New York Times bestselling author
 

Published to coincide with a major Hollywood biopic on Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb

 

“In this meticulously crafted and vivid account, Evan Thomas tells the gripping and terrifying story of the last days of the Second World War in the Pacific. Writing with insight and understanding, he re-creates for us those critical moments when, for better or worse, the decisions, from the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the Japanese surrender, were made.” - Margaret MacMillan, author of War: How Conflict Shaped Us

Road to Surrender
Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II
by Evan Thomas
Hardback / 8 June 2023 / Elliott & Thompson / £20

At 9:20 a.m. on the morning of May 30, General Groves receives a message to report to the office of the secretary of war “at once.” Stimson is waiting for him. He wants to know: has Groves selected the targets yet?

So begins this suspenseful, impeccably researched history that draws on new access to diaries to tell the story of three men who were intimately involved with America’s decision to drop the atomic bomb—and Japan’s decision to surrender. They are Henry Stimson, the American Secretary of War, who had overall responsibility for decisions about the atom bomb; Gen. Carl “Tooey” Spaatz, head of strategic bombing in the Pacific, who supervised the planes that dropped the bombs; and Japanese Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo, the only one in Emperor Hirohito’s Supreme War Council who believed even before the bombs were dropped that Japan should surrender.

Henry Stimson had served in the administrations of five presidents, but as the U.S. nuclear program progressed, he found himself tasked with the unimaginable decision of determining whether to deploy the bomb. The new president, Harry S. Truman, thus far a peripheral figure in the momentous decision, accepted Stimson’s recommendation to drop the bomb. Army Air Force Commander Gen. Spaatz ordered the planes to take off. Like Stimson, Spaatz agonized over the command even as he recognized it would end the war. After the bombs were dropped, Foreign Minister Togo was finally able to convince the emperor to surrender. 

To bring these critical events to vivid life, bestselling author Evan Thomas draws on the diaries of Stimson, Togo and Spaatz, contemplating the immense weight of their historic decision. In Road to Surrender, an immersive, surprising, moving account, Thomas lays out the behind-the-scenes thoughts, feelings, motivations, and decision-making of three people who changed history.

ABOUT Evan Thomas

Evan Thomas is the author of ten books, including the New York Times bestsellers John Paul Jones, Sea of Thunder, and First: Sandra Day O’Connor. Thomas was a writer, correspondent, and editor for thirty-three years at Time and Newsweek, including ten years as Newsweek’s Washington bureau chief. He appears regularly on many TV and radio talk shows. Thomas has taught at Harvard and Princeton.

NEW MATERIAL AND INSIGHT

  • Previously unpublished correspondence between Spaatz and his wife, shared by General Spaatz’s granddaughter, Katharine Gresham, shows Spaatz’s deep ambivalence about how the war was progressing.

  • Unpublished materials shared by Togo’s grandsons, show Togo’s little-known role in avoiding an Armageddon far worse even than the damage wrought by two atomic bombs.

  • Through rare access to diaries and personal discussions we have insight into the moral dilemmas faced on both sides and how the key political decision makers grappled with these impossibly difficult decisions.

  • This story is more relevant than ever because of Putin’s threats, demonstrating again the strength of nuclear power as a political weapon.

Selected Praise

“A terrifying, heart-breaking account of three men under unimaginable pressure . . . This is history that crackles with journalistic immediacy. I challenge you not to read this book in a single sitting.” - Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea and Travels with George

“With an unerring eye for detail and a deft touch with the dramatic, Evan Thomas tells one of the most important stories of all time with power and grace. Paced like a thriller, replete with fresh historical insight, and driven by new research, Thomas’s book explains how America came to deploy the deadliest weapons ever created. The result is an indispensable portrait of power, anxiety, and moral ambiguity.” - Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of And There Was Light

“This dramatic, you-are-there masterpiece provides a convincing explanation of one of the great moral questions of twentieth-century history: Was America right to drop the atom bomb on Japan at the end of World War II? This is an indispensable book for those who want to understand the moral issues surrounding the use of great power.” - Walter Isaacson

“A taut, thrilling narrative, rich, compassionate, and superbly nuanced.” - Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Revolutionary

“In this mesmerizing account of the final weeks of World War II, Evan Thomas provides a haunting, deeply human look at the mental and physical torment of American and Japanese leaders as they confronted the catastrophic reality of the atomic bomb. Although U.S. officials were convinced that dropping the bomb on Japanese cities was necessary to end the war, Thomas reveals in cinematic, nail-biting detail that Japan’s surrender was not a foregone conclusion. Even as Emperor Hirohito made the wrenching decision to capitulate, senior Japanese military leaders launched a bloody, last-minute insurrection to overthrow the government and fight to the bitter end—a coup attempt that came unnervingly close to succeeding.” - Lynne Olson, New York Times bestselling author of Madame Fourcade's Secret War and Citizens of London

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The Flavour Thesaurus: More Flavours by Niki Segnit

The hugely anticipated follow-up to Niki Segnit's landmark global bestseller The Flavour Thesaurus

 ‘As brilliant, informative and witty as the first Flavour Thesaurus… This book will inspire a new generation of home cooks, chefs and writers alike.’

Rukmini Iyer on The Flavour Thesaurus: More Flavours

 

‘Matching ingredients isn't a trivial matter and Niki Segnit is definitely the reigning champion.’ Yotam Ottolenghi on The Flavour Thesaurus: More Flavours

 

‘It’s been fascinating, if not to say dangerously appetising, to research the dozens of mostly plant-based ingredients in this all-new treasury of flavour combinations. As with its sister volume, the first Flavour Thesaurus, my hope is that the mix of science, culinary advice, tasting notes, recipes and stories will inform and inspire cooks, from the professional chef creating recipes in her test kitchen, to the home cook trying to avoid consigning half a cauliflower to the bin.’ Niki Segnit

The Flavour Thesaurus
More Flavours
Niki Segnit 
Bloomsbury / HB / 11 May 2023 / £20

In The Flavour Thesaurus: More Flavours – Plant-led pairings, recipes and ideas for cooks, Niki Segnit applies her ground-breaking approach to explore 92 plant-based flavours, from Kale to Cashew, Pomegranate to Pistachio. Every ingredient is vegetarian and explored with the economy of a thesaurus, then expertly paired with those they complement.

Some of the pairings are classic, like Honey & Yoghurt or Green Bean & Tomato, some are contemporary like Turmeric & Ginger or Black Bean & Avocado, many are global like Miso & Seaweed or Tofu & Chilli, and others are compellingly unexpected, like Tamarind & Cheese or Papaya & Green Bean. There are over 800 witty and erudite entries combining recipes, tasting notes and stories to bring each ingredient to life. 

Together with Niki Segnit’s first book, The Flavour Thesaurus, this is a modern classic of food writing. Witty, playful and beautifully written, More Flavours is as much a bedside read as an indispensable kitchen resource.

The Flavour Thesaurus, first published in 2011, is a global bestseller and has been translated into fifteen languages. It was winner of the André Simon Award for best food book, the Guild of Food Writers Award for best first book and shortlisted for the Galaxy National Book Awards. It’s an iconic book with evangelists that span the world, from Nigel Slater, Yotam Ottolenghi, Heston Blumenthal, Brian Eno and Kate Winslet to baristas, bar tenders and wine writers.

ABOUT ME Niki Segnit

Niki Segnit lives in London with her husband and two children. On BBC Radio 4, she has contributed to The Food Programme, Woman’s Hour and Word of Mouth, and her columns, features and reviews have appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, The Times, The Times Literary Supplement, The Sunday Times and Prospect magazine. She is the author of The Flavour Thesaurus and Lateral Cooking.

Selected praise for The Flavour Thesaurus:

‘The books I value most are those I return to again and again. Such has been the case with The Flavour Thesaurus’ - Nigel Slater

‘An original and inspiring resource’ - Heston Blumenthal

‘Every time I return to it, which is often, it makes me tingle with happy greed’ - Bee Wilson

‘I heartily recommend The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit. It lists more than 4,000 possible combinations of 99 flavours, with lots of recipes to inspire you’ - Kate Winslet, Harper’s Bazaar

 

Selected praise for Lateral Cooking:

‘It is hard to convey just what a staggering achievement Lateral Cooking is … I can lose myself in it any time, from any page, and you could cook from it over a whole lifetime, and still be learning’ - Nigella Lawson

‘A rigorous, nuts-and-bolts bible of book, which works from the premise that there are base recipes from which all others can be built’ - Jay Rayner

‘The pleasure here is not in the technical know-how but the writing – witty, playful and conversational – and the juicy little nuggets of information’ - Diana Henry

'Pure, informative delight' - The New York Times

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FRAY by Chris Carse Wilson

FRAY By Chris Carse Wilson
HarperNorth / 27th April 2023 / Hardback Fiction / £14.99

‘Fray is right up there for me with other first-person books like The Catcher in the Rye and Janice Galloway’s The Trick is to Keep Breathing. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.’ - Alan Cumming

‘Grief is the everyday devil, and in this hallucinatory debut it grabs us by the hand. Is there a mystery to solve? Or is it the real mystery that any of us manages to go on living in the face of grief?’ - Damian Barr

 ‘Mind-alteringly beautiful writing.’- Kirstin Innes

The debut literary suspense novel by Chris Carse Wilson, exploring hope and grief in the remote wilderness of the Scottish Highlands. Chris secretly wrote Fray in fifteen-minute bursts on the bus to and from work, even hiding the book from his wife until it was finished.

I am not gone. Mum is not gone. We are here. We are hidden.

 A father who is trying to rescue his lost wife. 

Their child, desperately searching the wild forests and dangerous mountains of the Scottish Highlands, not knowing what’s out there.

An abandoned cottage in the remote wilderness, filled with thousands of confusing, terrifying handwritten notes.

And a dark, looming voice who threatens to destroy everything…

ABOUT CHRIS CARSE WILSON

Chris Carse Wilson is a debut author and lifelong runner who uses exercise and nature to manage his mental health. Chris is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 40. He lives outside Dundee, where he was part of the team who created V&A Dundee, Scotland’s design museum.

INTRODUCTION TO FRAY

Chris Carse Wilson began writing Fray in 2016 during a family trip to Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands.

 He had long wanted to write about his own mental health experiences but had always struggled to find a way to do this. The key moment came during a mountain run in a storm.

Chris said: “I had foolishly decided to try and run up one of the Munro mountains in Glen Coe on a dark October day. Not long into the climb, the rain came on heavily and the wind really picked up – the conditions were painful, with raindrops spiking into my face and terrible visibility.

“I had to give up halfway, but on the way back down I passed an old, boarded-up hunting lodge. That combination of the wild, threatening weather and this abandoned building gave me the way into telling a story that is open and honest about mental health.”

Chris would later receive an autism diagnosis, after completing Fray.

He said: “My mental health challenges are inextricably linked to being autistic and how I experience the world, which for 40 years of my life I never understood. The diagnosis has been an incredible moment, although I’m still learning and coming to terms with it.

“But, and this is crucial, this book isn’t really about me – it’s about the mental health experiences we all face, and the ways we may struggle to understand or communicate these. At its heart, Fray is a book about love and self-acceptance, while also taking the reader on a wild adventure through the Scottish Highlands.”

FURTHER ADVANCE PRAISE

‘Fray is a haunting, insightful literary story... a tale of family, tragedy, and loneliness set against the evocative backdrop of the Scottish Highlands, written with a unique flair and style. A dark and atmospheric masterpiece.’ - Vikki Patis, author of Return to Blackwater House

‘Eerie and ethereal, Fray is an unsettling quest in the unforgiving Scottish Highlands – utterly spellbinding.’ - Marion Todd, author of the DI Clare Mackay series

‘Fray is a totally original novel and I loved it for that… A dangerous journey that throws up lots of surprises. The writing is awe-inspiring.’ - Alex Pine, bestselling author of the DI James Walker series 

'Dark and atmospheric, Fray is chilling and very original. I couldn't put it down.' - Simon McCleave

'Chris Carse Wilson has that deftness of touch that will scare you witless but keep you coming back for more and more.' - Jonathan Whitelaw

Fray will also be available as an audio book read by Angus King, who voiced Booker Prize winner Shuggie Bain.

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The Monk by Tim Sullivan

'DS George Cross is as arresting as the cases he solves.' RICHARD E. GRANT

“A perfect detective for our time and for all time.” STEPHEN FRY

 ‘Compelling, full of twists and turns, I couldn’t put this down. Sullivan has created a truly original and endearing detective in George Cross. I’m looking forward to the next one.’ SIMON MCCLEAVE on The Politician

The Monk
by Tim Sullivan
Hardback / 27 April / Head of Zeus

DS George Cross has always wondered why his mother left him when he was a child. Now she is back in his life, he suddenly has answers. But this unexpected reunion is not anything he's used to dealing with. When a disturbing case lands on his desk, he is almost thankful for the return to normality.

The body of a monk is found savagely beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol. Nothing is known about Brother Dominic's past, which makes investigating difficult. How can Cross unpick a crime when they don't know anything about the victim? And why would someone want to harm a monk?

ABOUT TIM SULLIVAN

Tim Sullivan is a crime writer, screenwriter and director whose film credits include A Handful of Dust, Jack and Sarah and Cold Feet. Early in his career he directed Jeremy Brett’s iconic portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in ITV’s The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes¸ cementing his lifelong passion for crime fiction.

Tim’s crime series, featuring the socially awkward but brilliantly persistent DS George Cross, has been widely acclaimed and topped the book charts. The Monk is the fifth in the series.

He lives in North London with his wife Rachel, the Emmy Award-winning producer of The Barefoot Contessa and Pioneer Woman.

To find out more about the author please visit TimSullivan.co.uk 

Twitter: @timjrsullivan / Instagram: @timsullivannovelist / TikTok: @timsullivanauthor

TALKING POINTS & FEATURE IDEAS

  • Creating character – from films to crime novels, what keeps us hooked?

  • Differences between writing for screen and writing novels – from detailed storyboarding, to being surprised by what your character does next…

  • How experience as a director helps the novel writing process – from The Casebook Of Sherlock Holmes to George Cross…
    NB Tim’s first two movies were adaptations of books which was another way of learning about the process of novel writing and the difference between the page and the screen.

  • The importance of supporting characters in fiction – in Sullivan’s George Cross novels his partner at work, Josie Ottey, is often his conduit, interpreter, and apologist to those that don’t make any effort to understand him. Alice Mackenzie, the young staffer, relatively new to the department acts as the eyes for the reader as she comes to understand her boss and his ways. His father, Raymond, is a constant source of love and support for someone who is so often misunderstood and abused. This cast of characters enables the detective, sleuth, pathologist, whoever the main character in a crime novel is, to function at their best.

  • The perfect detectives, and what they have in common – from Sherlock Holmes to Poirot and Philip Marlowe to Harry Bosch

  • Creating George – from his passion for playing the organ to his absent mother, what makes George tick?

  • Creating a setting – why Bristol is the perfect place for the DS George Cross series

  • Mortality / grief intruding in the most unexpected of places – Tim’s father died in his arms at his wedding as they left the church

SELECTED PRAISE

 'A British detective for the 21st century who will be hard to forget' DAILY MAIL

 ‘The fact that Cross has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder makes him just as intriguing as the murder mystery’ THE TIMES

 ‘Elegant writing and a firm grasp of the crime medium…We’ve had sleuths on the autistic spectrum before but Sullivan’s copper is among the most distinctive characterisations.’ FINANCIAL TIMES

‘Fantastic story with a brilliant D.S. Loved it’ FROST MAGAZINE

‘A compelling, suspenseful police procedural with an intimate, positive insight into living on the autistic spectrum' WOMAN

'A good police procedural made doubly interesting by the development of the characters' CHOICE

'True characters, a fresh setting, and a good mystery – this one's got the lot.' THE MORNING STAR

'Superb, clever and taut' BELFAST TELEGRAPH

'An absolute cracker' THE BOOKBAG

‘[An] extremely accomplished novel… [with] a plot-line which keeps you constantly on your toes…George Cross is superbly written…the author really captures the person the little details that make him the person he is…[A] crime novel of the highest quality, packed with twists, protagonists who leap of the page with a narrative which kept me engaged throughout…This is a series which I cannot recommend highly enough, by an author who has elevated himself to the top of the crime writing genre.’ Andy Wormald, AMW BOOKS

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Twelve Moons by Caro Giles

Twelve Moons:
A Year Under a Shared Sky
Caro Giles
19 January 2023/ £14.99/ Hardback/ ebook/ audio

‘A multi-sensory experience of the natural world, which invites the reader to become both companion and witness in a timeless account of the power of the sea.’
- Katharine Norbury


TWELVE MOONS follows a year spent caught between the wild sea and the changing moon of the wide Northumberland skies.

Caro Giles lives on the far edge of the country, with her tribe of daughters: The Mermaid, The Whirlwind, The Caulbearer and The Littlest One. She is at once alone and yet surrounded. Bound by circumstance, financial constraints, illness and the challenges of single motherhood, she has nowhere to go but the fierce landscape that surrounds her.

Over the course of the year, the moon becomes her fellow traveller through dark times, and companion through joyful ones – and even when the sky is wreathed in cloud, the moon is still felt in the pull of the tides.

TWELVE MOONS follows the lunar calendar, each chapter sharing a month and a moon, and shows the simmering power that lies in our often hidden daily lives. A dazzlingly honest memoir that while never turning away from the awkward truths of life, also shows how love will flourish if we can only find a space for ourselves.

Set against windswept beaches and ancient hills, this is a story steeped in nature and landscape. Since our earliest days, mankind has looked up at the moon and seen a story reflected back. Twelve Moons is one of those stories – a book about finding yourself, your voice and a sense that even in the dark of the night, we are never truly alone.

ABOUT Caro Giles

Caro Giles is a writer based in Northumberland. Her words are inspired by her local landscape, the wide empty beaches and the Cheviot Hills. She writes honestly about what it means to be a woman, a mother and a carer and about the value in taking the road less travelled. Her writing has appeared in journals, press and periodicals and she was named Countryfile magazine’s New Nature Writer of the Year in 2021. She tweets @CaroGilesWrites.

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A Book of Days by Patti Smith

A Book of Days
By Patti Smith
15 November 2022 / hardback / £25 / non-fiction Bloomsbury


A deeply moving and brilliantly idiosyncratic visual book of days by the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids and M Train. More than 365 images chart Smith's singular aesthetic - inspired by her wildly popular Instagram.

In 2018, without any plan or agenda for what might happen next, Patti Smith posted her first Instagram photo: her hand with the simple message "Hello Everybody!" Known for shooting with her beloved Land Camera 250, Smith started posting images from her phone including portraits of her kids, her radiator, her boots, and her Abyssinian cat, Cairo. Followers felt an immediate affinity with these miniature windows into Smith's world, photographs of her daily coffee, the books she's reading, the graves of beloved heroes - William Blake, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, Simone Weil, Albert Camus. Over time, a coherent story of a life devoted to art took shape, and more than a million followers responded to Smith's unique aesthetic in images that chart her passions, devotions, obsessions, and whims. Original to this book are vintage photographs: anniversary pearls, a mother's keychain, and a husband's Mosrite guitar. Here, too, are never-before-seen photos of life on and off the road, train stations, obscure cafés, a notebook always nearby. In wide-ranging yet intimate daily notations, Smith shares dispatches from her travels around the world.

With 365 photographs, taking you through a single year, A Book of Days is a new way to experience the expansive mind of the visionary poet, writer, and performer. Hopeful, elegiac, playful - and complete with an introduction by Smith that explores her documentary process - A Book of Days is a timeless offering for deeply uncertain times, an inspirational map of an artist's life.

ABOUT PATTI SMITH

A writer, performer, and visual artist, Patti Smith has exhibited her drawings and photographs internationally, most recently Camera Solo at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum in Hartford. She has recorded thirteen albums, launched by the seminal Horses in 1975. Her many books include Witt, Babel, The Coral Sea, Auguries of Innocence and Just Kids, which won the National Book Award in 2010. Patti Smith lives in New York City.

Patti’s Instagram, @thisispattismith, has over 1 million followers.

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Buzzin’ by Bez

Buzzin’
The Nine Lives of a Happy Monday
By Bez
(With Andrew Perry)
White Rabbit / HB / 3 November 2022 / £20
(also available as ebook and audio book)

At the height of his initial, turn-of-the-1990's infamy as the maraca-wielding dancer with 'Madchester' giants Happy Mondays, Mark Berry - forever known to the world as Bez - was visibly a danger to society. He became the so-called Chemical Generation's bug-eyed pied piper, every weekend leading millions out to oblivion and beyond, as they adopted his E-gobbling party lifestyle.

Neither an accomplished musician nor even a very good dancer, Bez was a prime candidate for fleeting celebrity, soon to sink into 'Where Are They Now?' obscurity. That, however, never happened, nor does it show any sign of happening. Through Black Grape, the second band he co-fronted with the Mondays' Shaun Ryder, and his ever-presence in the mass media, Bez's popularity has grown exponentially, his star rocketing ever upwards.

When he bowled into Celebrity Big Brother in 2005, he ended up winning the series, as viewers came to understand his fundamental decency and sunny outlook. His adult life has been extraordinary: unbelievable scrapes with mortality, periods of financial ruin, mindfuck moments like when David Bowie genuflected before him, and enough narcotic-strewn hi-jinx to fill several more volumes of memoir.

Written with the assistance of estimable rock and roll ghostwriter, Andrew Perry (John Lydon, Tricky), this is the story of a bad lad who has turned his life good, tracing his passage from early-thirty-something casualty to middle-aged politician, eco-warrior and bee-aficionado.

‘There is no one like Bez: you could literally throw him out of a helicopter at 60,000 feet and he would land in somebody’s extra-deep swimming pool, get out they would cook him Sunday dinner – and let him stay the night! Shaun Ryder on Bez

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Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

“Haynes is a master of her trade... She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories”
- DAILY TELEGRAPH

STONE BLIND
Medusa’s Story
By Natalie Haynes
15th September 2022/ Mantle/ Hardback/ £18.99

Natalie Haynes, the Women’s Prize-shortlisted author of A THOUSAND SHIPS, brings the infamous Medusa to life as you have never seen her before . .

So to mortal men, we are monsters.
Because of our teeth, our flight, our strength.
They fear us, so they call us monsters.

Medusa is the only mortal in a family of gods. Growing up with her sisters, she quickly realizes that she is the only one who gets older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.

When desire pushes a God to commit the unforgivable, Medusa’s mortal life is changed forever. Her punishment is to be turned into a Gorgon: sharp teeth, snakes for hair, and a gaze that will turn any living creature to stone. Appalled by her own reflection, Medusa can no longer look upon anything she loves without destroying it. She condemns herself to a life of solitude in the shadows to limit her murderous range.

That is, until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .

This is the story of how a young woman became a monster. And how she was never really a monster at all.

ABOUT Natalie Haynes

NATALIE HAYNES is a writer and broadcaster. She is the author of novels THE AMBER FURY, shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize; THE CHILDREN OF JOCASTA, a feminist retelling of the Oedipus and Antigone stories and A THOUSAND SHIPS, a retelling of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective; and non-fiction books THE ANCIENT GUIDE TO MODERN LIFE and, most recently, PANDORA’S JAR about the women in Greek myths. She has written and presented seven series of the BBC Radio 4 show, NATALIES HAYNES STANDS UP FOR THE CLASSICS. In 2015, she was awarded the Classical Association Prize for her work in bringing Classics to a wider audience. STONE BLIND is her fourth novel.

www.nataliehaynes.com

Natalie Haynes is available for events and interview.

Praise for Haynes’ last novel A THOUSAND SHIPS

“Absorbing and fiercely feminist” – GUARDIAN

“Elegant and intelligent… Haynes combines a wide ranging knowledge of the original myths with a gift for compelling narrative.” – SUNDAY TIMES

“Clever and entertaining” – THE TIMES

“If you are new to myths, then this is a learned, well-fashioned introduction, with many shining moment of subtle power.” – THE SPECTATOR

“Haynes expertly crafts an emotional and vivid historical tale with high stakes and female empowerment at its core.” – WOMAN’S OWN

“This quietly compulsive and revisionist novel extracts these women from the shadows. “Their story will be told”, declares Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, and Natalie Haynes is the right author to do it.” – DAILY MAIL

“Natalie Haynes is swiftly becoming this generation’s Mary Renault; her retelling of the Trojan war from an all-female perspective, A Thousand Ships, is her best yet” – THE OBSERVER

"With her trademark passion, wit, and fierce feminism, Haynes gives much-needed voice to the silenced women of the Trojan War. Her thoughtful portraits will linger with you long after the book is finished." – MADELINE MILLER, AUTHOR OF CIRCE

“The forgotten women are vividly brought to life in this moving, intelligent and witty book. Natalie Haynes’ knowledge of Greek mythology shines through her skilful story telling. Epic is the word” – MARTHA KEARNEY

“Here they all are — the women of antiquity of whom we know much but have heard so little. Not any more… A Thousand Ships gives voice to women and what voices, what women! Haynes takes the baton from Renault and runs with it. Her modern take on antiquity is exquisitely informed without ever being research-heavy. She brings these women and their triumphs and tragedies to life. Glorious!” – DAMIAN BARR

‘Turns the Trojan War into a gripping, feminist masterpiece” - DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE, THE GUILTY FEMINIST PODCAST

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The Last Party By Clare Mackintosh

Introducing Dc Ffion Morgan, in the Unmissable New Series From #1 Bestseller Clare Mackintosh

‘I absolutely inhaled this insanely gripping and atmospheric thriller. DC Ffion Morgan and her English counterpart Leo Brady are up there with the greats: Morse and Lewis, Kerrigan and Derwent, Wexford and Burden, Marnie Rome and Noah.’ - Erin Kelly

 ‘Terrific. The Last Party has twists that blindside you all the way, the last of which you’ll never see coming’ - Mari Hannah

‘Superb. A compelling murder mystery told with warmth, humour and enough red herrings to keep even the most seasoned crime reader guessing. Clare Mackintosh’s new series is set to be a sure-fire hit and I can’t wait to find out what kind of crime Ffion is faced with investigating next’ - C.L. Taylor

At midnight, one of them is dead. By morning, all of them are suspects . . .

THE LAST PARTY
By Clare Mackintosh
Sphere / 4th August / HB / £14.99

On New Year's Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests.

His lakeside holiday homes are a success, and he's generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbours. This will be the party to end all parties.

But not everyone is there to celebrate. By midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.

On New Year's Day, DC Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects.

The tiny community is her home, so the suspects are her neighbours, friends and family - and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.

With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn't who wanted Rhys dead . . . but who finally killed him. 

In a village with this many secrets, a murder is just the beginning.

The Last Party is a mystery with echoes of Agatha Christie and Scandi-noir but with a modern edge all of Mackintosh’s own, and features her signature strong characters, heartfelt emotion and unpredictable twists and turns. It also draws upon her own experiences as a former police officer.

About Clare Mackintosh

Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of five Sunday Times bestselling novels, including I Let You Go, which was the fastest-selling debut thriller in the year it was released. Translated into forty languages, her books have sold more than two million copies worldwide, have been New York Times and international bestsellers and have spent a combined total of 64 weeks in the Sunday Times bestseller chart.

Clare spent twelve years in the police force, including time on CID, and as a public order commander. She left the police in 2011 to work as a freelance journalist and social media consultant and is the founder of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival. She now writes full time and lives in Wales with her husband and their three children.

'No one writes a twist like Clare Mackintosh' – Paula Hawkins

'She's a major talent' – Lee Child

'Compulsive, thrilling and just so beautifully done' - Lisa Jewell

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Hostage by Clare Mackintosh

'A nail-biter of a thriller' Shari Lapena

‘Hypnotically good' Lee Child

'Feels like a blockbuster movie' Lisa Jewell 

‘Utterly riveting’ Lucy Foley

‘A propulsive read – Hostage will have you questioning “what would you do” at every turn’ Karin Slaughter

The jaw-dropping, edge-of-your-seat Sunday Times bestselling thriller

Hostage by Clare Mackintosh
Sphere / 23 June / PB / £8.99

Save hundreds of lives. Or save your child?

You're on board the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney. It's a landmark journey, and the world is watching.

Shortly after take-off, you receive a chilling anonymous note.

There are people on this plane intent on bringing it down - and you're the key to their plan.

You'd never help them, even if your life depended on it.

But they have your daughter . . . So now you have to choose.

DO YOU SAVE HUNDREDS OF LIVES? OR THE ONE THAT MATTERS MOST?

'Taking the locked room mystery to a new, white-knuckle extreme, this is electrifying' HEAT

'A thrilling, chilling gut-punch of a book' RED

'The year's most intriguing high-concept plot' DAILY EXPRESS

'Mackintosh is a pro' NEW YORK TIMES

'An incredibly tense read that has a satisfyingly clever ending' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
‘The book of the summer’ SUN

About Clare Mackintosh

Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of five Sunday Times bestselling novels, including I Let You Go, which was the fastest-selling debut thriller in the year it was released. Translated into forty languages, her books have sold more than two million copies worldwide, have been New York Times and international bestsellers and have spent a combined total of 64 weeks in the Sunday Times bestseller chart.

Clare spent twelve years in the police force, including time on CID, and as a public order commander. She left the police in 2011 to work as a freelance journalist and social media consultant and is the founder of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival. She now writes full time and lives in Wales with her husband and their three children.

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Access All Areas by Barbara Charone

Memoir from the writer and music PR legend Barbara Charone, telling the story of a music-obsessed girl from Chicago who falls in love with British counter-culture, destined to re-shape it for multiple generations

Access All Areas
A Backstage Pass Through 50 Years of Music and Culture
By Barbara Charone
Foreword by Elvis Costello
White Rabbit / HB / 23 June 2022 / £20

Access All Areas: A Backstage Pass Through 50 Years of Music and Culture tells the story of how a music-loving, budding journalist from a Chicago suburb became the defining music publicist of her generation. With an exclusive foreword from Elvis Costello, Barbara Charone’s debut memoir is a time capsule of the last fifty years, told through the lens of music, from the incredible woman who set the cultural agenda in her work with a myriad of stars including Keith Richards, Foo Fighters, REM, Rod Stewart and Madonna.

First as a journalist and then a publicist at Warner Brothers Records for nearly twenty years, Barbara Charone has experienced, first-hand, the changes in the cultural landscape. Access All Areas is a personal, insightful and humorous memoir packed with stories of being on the cultural frontline, from first writing press releases on a typewriter driven by Tip Ex, then as a press officer for heavy metal bands taking the bus up to Donnington Festival with coffee, croissants and the much more popular sulfate. To taking on Madonna, an unknown girl from Detroit, and telling Smash Hits 'you don't have to run the piece if the single doesn't chart', and becoming a true pioneer in music, Charone continues to work with the biggest names in music, including Depeche Mode, Robert Plant, Foo Fighters and Mark Ronson at her agency MBCPR.

ABOUT Barbara Charone

Born in Chicago, Barbara Charone moved to London after graduating from Northwestern University. The first half of her career was spent as a music journalist working for NME, Sounds, Rolling Stone, Crawdaddy and Cream before writing the authorised biography Keith Richards: Life As A Rolling Stone in 1979.

In November 2000, after almost 20 years at Warner Brothers, Barbara co-founded leading independent music agency MBCPR with Moira Bellas where she still works now. Within six months it became one of the country’s top music PR firms. The current client roster includes: Madonna, Mark Ronson, Foo Fighters, Elvis Costello, Keith Richards, Rod Stewart, Kasabian, Metallica, Depeche Mode, Texas, Rag’n’Bone Man, St Vincent, Pearl Jam, Olly Murs, Ray Davies  and Rufus Wainwright.

Barbara Charone is one of the most respected women working in the music business. In November 2001, Charone and her business partner, Moira Bellas, were honoured as Women of the Year by Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and The Brit Trust and in 2006 and 2009 won the coveted Music Week PR Award.


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