Barbara Erskine’s THE STORY SPINNER is a Number One bestseller

August 7, 2024 Intern BlakeFriedmann

Barbara Erskine’s THE STORY SPINNER has jumped straight to the Number 1 spot in the UK hardback Original Fiction bestseller chart, achieving a clear lead after just three days on sale, with Waterstones and the independent bookstores playing a big role in this success. THE STORY SPINNER was published by HarperCollins on 1st August and is the ninth of Barbara’s novels to become a Top Ten bestseller.

As the Bookseller wrote: ‘Historical fiction legend Barbara Erskine has scored her first number one since accurate records began’, with her record launch week sales for THE STORY SPINNER adding to a very happy birthday week for the author!

Read more about THE STORY SPINNER here in Barbara’s interview with Rest Less and you can find more interviews and news on Barbara’s Facebook page.

THE STORY SPINNER is a spellbinding tale of love, ambition, and secrets that have lain silent for over a thousand years…

The land of the Silures, 382 AD. Elen is a princess promised to a general of Rome. Macsen came to Wales seeking an alliance that would advance his quest for power. Despite warnings her marriage is destined for heartache, Elen is determined to honour her vows. But this union will change her destiny forever…

Camp Meadow, 2024. Cadi is a writer who has discovered Elen’s lost story. As she puts pen to paper, she hears the sound of ghostly marching feet. Opening the gate to the ancient meadow behind her cottage, could the secret behind Elen’s fate lie closer than she thinks? But someone is desperate to keep the past buried, plotting to destroy the meadow… Can Cadi uncover Elen’s story before it’s lost to time?

THE STORY SPINNER was a hit with early readers, garnering high praise from authors:

‘THE STORY SPINNER is another delicious feast of love, drama, suspense, mystery, history, and a ghostly magic that is Barbara’s alone. She’s simply unputdownable! I think this book is very special.’ – Santa Montefiore

‘Barbara Erskine has triumphed again. With her usual consummate skill, she has brilliantly crafted an enchanting story from myths, legends and fragments of history, set in Wales’ distant past. Beautifully written and vividly evoking the magic of lost worlds, this novel is so breath-taking in its scope that it left me longing for more.’ – Alison Weir

‘Barbara Erskine is the Grand Dame of the time-slip novel and this is her best yet. Gripping, constantly intriguing and brilliantly satisfying.’ – Peter James

‘A thoroughly enjoyable novel – this is Barbara Erskine at her best. Both stories were so absorbing and so well intertwined. I looked forward every day to my reading time knowing this was waiting for me – what a treat! Definitely going on my best books of the year list.’ – Elizabeth Chadwick

‘What a wonderful book! Unputdownable. It has all the ingredients Barbara Erskine’s fans would expect; real history, myth and mysticism all sewn together into a gripping plot. I love timeslip novels and this is one of the best… Cadi and Elen are fantastic characters, each distinct and belonging to their respective periods, and I was particularly fond of Uncle Meryn!’ – Deborah Swift

‘I have long been an admirer of Barbara Erskine. Her magical stories rise effortlessly off the page and this one, so aptly titled, THE STORY SPINNER, is no exception. There is romance, mystery, history, long-buried feuds and secrets all wrapped up in Barbara’s marvellously evocative descriptions. She sets her scenes so vividly that you can hear the trees whispering in the wind, the horses whinnying as they appear like phantoms from out of the mist... For lovers of top-quality historical and time slip fiction, I highly recommend THE STORY SPINNER.’ – Carol Drinkwater

‘I enjoyed THE STORY SPINNER hugely. Intriguing, dramatic, beautifully researched, with characters that bring past and present alive, it shows Barbara Erskine on excellent form.’ – Rachel Hore

‘Barbara Erskine is a divine storyteller, a clever spider who spins a golden web around her readers. This is a glorious dual-narrative tale, full of wonderful characters, atmosphere and magnificently researched history. I absolutely loved THE STORY SPINNER: one of her very best books.’ – Jane Johnson

THE STORY SPINNER is the first in two Barbara Erskine historical novels recently acquired by HarperCollins. The second, THE VALLEY OF RAVENS, will be published in print, ebook and audio in 2026.

About the Author

Historian and novelist, Barbara Erskine was the first writer to become a major bestseller with dual time period novels. Her first novel, LADY OF HAY, catapulted her to international success and has been constantly in print for 38 years. Often imitated, never equalled, Barbara’s work is published all around the world in English and in 26 other languages. Her books are regular Sunday Times bestsellers in both hardback and paperback, with millions of copies sold.

Barbara Erskine has 16 novels and 3 original short story collections to her name. Euromedia published ‘The Best of Barbara Erskine’ short story collection in the Czech Republic in October 2020.

She lives in an old police station in Hay-on-Wye, the setting of LADY OF HAY and SLEEPER’S CASTLE, and near Offa’s Dyke, a key location in THE DREAM WEAVERS. Wales is also the setting of THE STORY SPINNER and the forthcoming THE VALLEY OF RAVENS.

Praise for Barbara Erskine

‘Fascinating, absorbing, original. But perhaps the most suitable word is hypnotic.’ – SHE

‘Erskine never disappoints.’ — Historical Novel Society

'My perfect storm of escapist bliss.' – Saga

‘The acknowledged queen of the historical time-slip novel.’ – Daily Mail

‘Whether you class her as historical or supernatural, she is certainly a first-rate storyteller.’ – The Bookseller

Visit Barbara’s website.

Follow Barbara on Twitter.

Follow Barbara on Facebook.

Tom Benn wins The 2022 Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award

March 16, 2023 Intern BlakeFriedmann

We are delighted to announce that Tom Benn has won the 2022 Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Trust Young Writer of the Year Award for his novel OXBLOOD, published by Bloomsbury.

The award celebrates fiction, non-fiction and poetry by British or Irish authors aged 35 or under: recent winners include Sally Rooney, Max Porter, Sarah Howe, Raymond Antrobus and Cal Flyn. Its fuller alumni list includes Robert Macfarlane, Sarah Waters, Simon Armitage, Naomi Alderman, Caryl Phillips, Andrew Cowan and Zadie Smith, among others.

The other titles on this year’s shortlist were LARGER THAN AN ORANGE by Lucy Burns, MAPS OF OUR SPECTACULAR BODIES by Maddie Mortimer and SUPER-INFINITE by Katherine Rundell.

On Tom’s win, Sunday Times literary editor Johanna Thomas-Corr commented: ‘Tom’s story about the struggles of three generations of women in a Manchester crime clan has been rendered with care and specificity. The result is an atmospheric family saga that contains so much buried love, anger, grief, sexual jealousy and bitter disappointment… Yet somehow I emerged from it exhilarated!’

Chair of the 2022 judging panel Andrew Holgate added: ‘What a voice Tom Benn has got, what a feel for character and place, and what an uncompromising approach he has to his subject and material. He inhabits his milieu of 1980s Manchester with total conviction. We were bowled over as a judging panel by OXBLOOD.’

Sebastian Faulks, Chair of the Charlotte Aitken Trust, presented the award, having chaired the shortlist readings at Waterstones Piccadilly the previous night. The judging panel included critic and journalist Stig Abell, poet Mona Arshi, author Oyinkan Braithwaite, and novelist and earlier winner of the prize, Francis Spufford. Stig Abell said OXBLOOD ‘is a book to get lost headlong in’ and Mona Arshi called it ‘one of those rare books where place and time are conjured so effortlessly, the cast of characters drawn with so much ease and grace.’ Oyinkan Braithwaite called it ‘a propulsive, bountiful, fearless work of art’ and Francis Spufford added that OXBLOOD ‘shows us that there are few places literature can’t take us, if the writer is brave enough, and gifted enough.’

See more on news of Tom’s win and praise from the judges for OXBLOOD:
http://www.youngwriteraward.com/tombenn/#

Watch a video of Tom talking about OXBLOOD before the prize announcement:
https://twitter.com/YoungWriterYear/status/1630656368418889739?s=20

See an interview with Tom after winning the prize:
https://twitter.com/Waterstones/status/1635981676596834305?s=20

Read an extract from OXBLOOD in Granta:
https://granta.com/oxblood/

OXBLOOD follows three generations of women as they try to come to terms with the bloody legacy of their family in 1980s Manchester. Told in vivid, visceral prose, OXBLOOD was published in hardback in April 2022 and was also longlisted for the 2022 Gordon Burn Prize. The paperback edition will be published in April. Translation rights have recently been sold in Spain.

More Praise for OXBLOOD:

‘Brilliant’ – Denise Mina

‘The master of northern noir… a richly layered tale of a Mancunian crime clan set in the 1980s, of decaying mills, rising unemployment and rampant drug dealing. This atmospheric novel, which was also longlisted for the Gordon Burn prize 2022, explores the legacy of violent men through the three generations of working-class women left behind’ – Johanna Thomas-Corr, The Sunday Times

‘One of the most powerful and urgent writers of our times.’ – David Peace

‘If I read a better novel than OXBLOOD in 2022, it’ll be a blinding year for fiction. Tom Benn, please take a bow. Everybody else, please take note.’ – Joseph Knox author of SIRENS and TRUE CRIME

‘Powerful and so beautifully written – like David Peace wrote Alan Warner’s The Sopranos and so lyrical, too.’ – Harriet Tyce, Sunday Times-bestselling author of BLOOD ORANGE

‘Reading OXBLOOD is a compelling and deeply unsettling experience; this is a novel that glitters with the dark energy and lifeblood of its characters’ – Naomi Booth, author of THE LOST ART OF SINKING and EXIT MANAGEMENT

‘More than anything, I was enamoured with Benn's audacity: to tell this raw, violent, compassionate story; to use language in such a thrilling and fresh way; to explore the dark hearts of ordinary people, and to not look away when things get messy; to be, basically, this good.’ – D.W. Wilson, author of ONCE YOU BREAK A KNUCKLE

About Tom Benn:

Tom Benn is an author, screenwriter and lecturer from Stockport, England. His first novel, THE DOLL PRINCESS (Cape), was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Portico Prize, longlisted for the CWA’s John Creasey Dagger, and was The Daily Mirror's Book of the Week. His other novels are CHAMBER MUSIC (Cape) and TROUBLE MAN (Cape). He won runner-up prize in the 2019 International Desperate Literature Prize for Short Fiction, and his creative nonfiction has appeared in The Paris Review Daily. He won the BFI’s iWrite scheme for emerging screenwriters. His first film, Real Gods Require Blood, premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Short Film at the BFI London Film Festival.

His latest novel, OXBLOOD, was published by Bloomsbury in 2022 and was longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize and won Tom the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award 2022.

Follow Tom on Twitter

Canelo acquires historical fiction debut from Sunday Times bestseller Paul Finch

August 11, 2022 Intern BlakeFriedmann

Canelo will publish three historical fiction titles from Sunday Times bestselling author Paul Finch, writing as P.W. Finch. Commissioning Editor Craig Lye acquired World English Language rights from Kate Burke at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency in a three-book deal.

The novels will be published as a standalone and a duology. The standalone, provisionally titled WOLFHEAD, is set in Northumbria in 1066. When seventeen-year-old Cerdic’s father and brother fall in battle against the invading Earl Tostig and his Viking ally, Harald Hardraada, he briefly becomes Earl of Ripon before the town is seized by the raiders. On the run and fearing for his life, Cerdic must fight to reclaim his birthright.

The duology is set at the end of the 12th century, and follows the adventures of Thurstan Wildblood, a knight who journeys back to England from the Third Crusade, transporting a precious relic at the behest of Richard the Lionheart, and desperately hoping to redeem his soul in the process.

Craig Lye says: ‘I was absolutely delighted to hear that Paul was looking to write historical fiction alongside his superb thrillers. I devoured WOLFHEAD on submission; its pacing is relentless, and Paul’s characterisation and lightly worn historical knowledge are brilliant.’

Paul Finch says: ‘What can I say … I’ve always loved the Middle Ages, especially as a setting for full-on action/adventure fiction. I’m an avid reader of historical action novels, and have been dying to get in there as a writer, to spin some yarns of my own. Canelo have now made that possible.’

Kate Burke says: ‘I'm delighted to have this deal in place with Craig and the Canelo team. This second strand of Paul's publishing is a really exciting one and I'm looking forward to publication next year!’

WOLFHEAD will be published in April 2023 in mass-market paperback and ebook, with the duology to follow in 2024.

About Paul Finch

Paul Finch is an ex-cop and journalist turned author. He is the author of the bestselling Mark Heckenburg and Lucy Clayburn crime series (published by Avon/HarperCollins) as well as standalone thrillers ONE EYE OPEN and NEVER SEEN AGAIN (Orion). Paul lives in Lancashire with his wife and business partner, Cathy.

Praise for Paul Finch

‘Exceptional crime writing. Paul Finch continues to raise the bar.’ – M.W. Craven

‘Edge-of-the-seat reading…Heck is formidable – a British Alex Cross.’ – The Sun

‘Wonderfully dark and peppered with grim humour. Finch is a born storyteller and writes with the authentic voice of the ex-copper he is.’ – Peter James

‘Big star…part edge-of-the-seat, part hide-behind-the-sofa! An excellent series.’ – The Bookseller

Visit Paul's blog.

Follow Paul on Twitter

DOUBLE TOP TEN FOR SHEILA O’FLANAGAN’S THREE WEDDINGS AND A PROPOSAL

April 20, 2022 Intern BlakeFriedmann

Sheila O’Flanagan’s latest paperback THREE WEDDINGS AND A PROPOSAL features simultaneously in both the UK and Irish Top Ten Bestseller charts. Published by Headline, THREE WEDDINGS AND A PROPOSAL has made it to Number Eight in the Irish Times Bestseller list this weekend, and Number Nine in the Sunday Times paperback charts in the UK. Last year, the hardback of THREE WEDDINGS AND A PROPOSAL flew into the Irish Times Bestseller list, hitting the Number Two spot and remaining in the Top Ten for ten weeks.

In THREE WEDDINGS AND A PROPOSAL, Delphie is enjoying her brother's wedding; her surprise last-minute Plus One has stunned her family – and it's also stopped any of them asking again why she's still single. But when she sees all the missed calls that evening, she knows it can't be good news. And she's right.

Delphie has been living her best life, loving her job, her friends, her no-strings relationships and her dream house by the sea. Now she has to question everything she believed about who she is and what she wants. Is her mum right – is it time to settle down? Or does she want to keep on trying to have it all?

Each wedding of a glorious summer brings a new surprise. And as everything Delphie thought she had is threatened, she has the chance to reshape her future…

Sheila O’Flanagan’s brand new novel, WHAT EDEN DID NEXT, will be published by Headline on 28th April 2022, in hardback in the UK and trade paperback in Ireland, along with the audio edition narrated by Aoife McMahon. Mobius will publish in the US in June 2022. The publication of this thirtieth novel with Headline will be marked by a major celebratory campaign.

Sheila O’Flanagan is an international bestselling novelist, with more than 9 million copies sold. Numerous novels have been immediate and long-lasting No 1s in Ireland and, UK Top 10 Sunday Times Bestsellers, and she is published in more than 20 languages around the world. Her books have been Number 1 bestsellers in Sweden. She is the recipient of the prestigious Irish Tatler Literary Woman of the Year Award.

Praise for THREE WEDDINGS AND A PROPOSAL

‘This novel sees Sheila O’Flanagan at her insightful best. It flows along naturally, with a plot that feels unforced. There’s great characterisation, natural dialogue, and a sprinkling of clever one-liners. Overall, it’s a very smart feminist novel, examining the choices women have to make, and the obstacles still put in their way.’ — Five gripping books to lose yourself in this summer, Irish Examiner

‘Written with Sheila O’Flanagan’s trademark warmth and wisdom, this is an inspiring story of strength and self-discovery, with a touch of romance, by a writer who goes from strength to strength.’ — Anne Cater, Sunday Express S Magazine

‘In true O'Flanagan style, it's a compelling story of love, belonging and friendship, with a strong message.’ — Woman’s Weekly

‘A brilliant read from one of our favourite authors.’ – New Must-Reads, Bella Magazine

‘As a lover of all things Irish, how is it possible that I hadn’t discovered Sheila O’Flanagan’s books before THREE WEDDINGS AND A PROPOSAL? Thanks to this wonderful story of a woman’s journey of self-discovery, I can’t wait to read more by this very talented author.’ — #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods

‘Sheila O’Flanagan delivers the perfect summer escape with THREE WEDDINGS AND A PROPOSAL. Engrossing, entertaining, and emotional—and featuring a protagonist you can’t help but root for—this one will keep you turning the pages.’ — Farrah Rochon, USA Today Bestselling author of THE BOYFRIEND

‘Great characters and many twists and turns make this page turner thoroughly enjoyable. A great read!’ — Katie Fforde

‘An involving, thought-provoking novel and a masterclass in storytelling. I was drawn in from page 1.’ — Sue Moorcroft

‘Reading a Sheila O'Flanagan novel always feels like sitting down for a cup of tea with a friend — she writes with such warmth and empathy.’ — Beth O’Leary, author of THE FLATSHARE

‘Putting a spin on wedding stories, each wedding of a glorious summer brings a new surprise for Delphie, who has the chance to reshape her future.’ – Denise O’Donoghue, Irish Examiner, ‘Best of the Year Lists’

Praise for Sheila O’Flanagan

‘'O'Flanagan doesn't skirt the pain of heartache but embraces it along with the humour (and imperfect judgment) that give her characters their aching credibility... Despite some dark themes, the book's overall tone is light and hopeful.' - Irish Independent on HER HUSBAND’S MISTAKE

‘O'Flanagan is one of our best-known, best-loved and most prolific women's fiction authors’ – Irish Independent

‘One of my favourite authors’ – Marian Keyes

‘O'Flanagan's writing is crisp and concise and her plotting deft’ – Belfast Telegraph

'One of our best storytellers' – Irish Mail on Sunday

Visit Sheila’s website.

Follow Sheila on Twitter.

BARBARA ERSKINE’S THE DREAM WEAVERS SHOOTS STRAIGHT INTO THE TOP 5 IN THE SUNDAY TIMES HARDBACK BESTSELLER CHART

April 22, 2021 Intern BlakeFriedmann

Barbara Erskine’s sweeping new historical novel, THE DREAM WEAVERS (HarperCollins), has flown straight to the Number 4 spot in the Sunday Times hardback bestseller chart after just three days on sale, while the audiobook sailed into the Audible Top 10 bestsellers at Number 7. THE DREAM WEAVERS has also been included in Waterstones’ Best Books to Look Out For in April and was a LoveReading Exciting New Books on the Horizon pick.

Mercia, 788 AD. In the grand Saxon halls of Mercia, King Offa rules with cold ambition. His youngest daughter Eadburh is destined for an arranged marriage, but with reckless spirit her heart is taken by a Welsh prince, a man she can never be matched with and who is quickly and cruelly taken from her.

Eadburh inherited her father’s ruthless ways but it’s the gifts passed down from her mother that are far more dangerous. She is determined to carve her own place in the world, yet her path could cause war.

Offa’s Dyke, 2021. In a cottage hidden amongst the misty Welsh hills of Offa’s Dyke, Bea Dalloway is called to help Simon Armstrong, who is searching for peace. Instead he finds himself disturbed by unsettling noises and visions.

It isn’t long before Bea is also swept up by haunting dreams. The past is whispering to them, calling out for the truth to be told at last. And as dreams and reality weave closer together, Bea and Simon must be strong to resist the pull of the past – and its desire for revenge…

THE DREAM WEAVERS also garnered wonderful early praise from authors:

‘If you like brilliantly written history tinged with magic and ghosts, you'll love this’ – Peter James

‘As if by magic, THE DREAM WEAVERS transported me to another time and place. Mysterious and haunting - a richly woven tapestry of history and intrigue.’ – Fiona Valpy

‘Time-slip novels are rarely as compelling as this one, and Barbara Erskine is the supreme mistress of the genre. THE DREAM WEAVERS is a dazzling roller-coaster of a book that will thrill, enchant and intrigue those who love history and the supernatural. Erskine’s grasp of time, place and atmosphere is second to none, the storytelling a masterpiece, the ending one of the most moving I have ever read. If you read one book this year, read this one!’ – Alison Weir

‘So atmospheric and suspenseful, full of myth and magic and hauntings’ – Rachel Hore

‘Warmth, depth, mystery, magic and the supernatural … such a beautiful book!’ – Santa Montefiore

‘Barbara Erskine has done it yet again. From the very first pages of THE DREAM WEAVERS, you are drawn into the lives of modern-day characters who will, inexorably, slip the bonds of time into the mysterious and magical world of the early Saxons, and find yourself turning the pages with increasing urgency to follow this terrific, epic tale of secrets and betrayals.’ – Liz Trenow

Translation rights in THE DREAM WEAVERS have already been sold in the Czech Republic and Russia. New audio editions of her classic novels LADY OF HAY, WHISPERS IN THE SAND and KINGDOM OF SHADOWS will also be released throughout 2021, with introductions written and read by Barbara herself.

About the Author:

Historian and novelist, Barbara Erskine was the first writer to become a major bestseller with dual time period novels. Her first novel, LADY OF HAY, catapulted her to international success and has been constantly in print for 35 years. Often imitated, never equalled, Barbara’s work is published all around the world in English and in 26 other languages. Her books are regular Sunday Times bestsellers in both hardback and paperback, with millions of copies sold.