THE TUMBLING GIRL by Bridget Walsh on 2024 HWA Debut Crown Award longlist

THE TUMBLING GIRL, the first title in Bridget Walsh’s vivid Variety Palace Mystery series, has been longlisted for the 2024 HWA Debut Crown Award.

The HWA Awards celebrate the best historical writing, fiction and non-fiction and its ability to engage, illuminate, entertain and inform legions of readers. To be considered, the bulk of the narrative of the work submitted must take place at least thirty-five years prior to publication. There are three awards – the HWA Gold Crown (for writers already published), the HWA Non-fiction Crown and the HWA Debut Crown. Previous winners of the HWA Debut Crown Award include THE SECRET DIARIES OF CHARLES IGNATIUS SANCHO by Paterson Joseph and THE SPIRIT ENGINEER by AJ West.

The other titles on this year’s Debut Crown Award longlist are as follows: THE OTHER SIDE OF MRS WOOD by Lucy Barker; THE GOLDEN GATE by Amy Chua; LEEWARD by Katie Daysh; COLOURS OF SIENA by Judith May Evans; THE MAIDEN by Kate Foster; THE PAINTER’S DAUGHTER by Emily Howes; ALL US SINNERS by Katy Massey; OUR HIDEOUS PROGENY by C. E. McGill; THE WITCHING TIDE by Margaret Meyer; THE BEHOLDERS by Hester Musson and THE REVELS by Stacey Thomas.

THE TUMBLING GIRL sees an unlikely duo – ex-actress Minnie Ward and private detective Albert Easterbrook – team up to solve a grisly spate of murders in Victorian London. It was first published by Gallic Books in May 2023, and prior to publication it won the UEA Little, Brown Award for Crime Fiction. It was also shortlisted for the 2024 Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and reached No. 1 in the US Amazon Kindle New Historical Thriller Chart.

THE INNOCENTS, the sequel to THE TUMBLING GIRL, was published by Gallic Books earlier this year to great acclaim (with The Financial Times describing it as ‘historical crime fiction at its most beguiling’) and Bridget is currently working on the next in the series, THE SPIRIT GUIDE. The latter sees Minnie and Albert uncovering the dark secrets behind a female-only spiritualist group that purports to help its members commune with deceased loved ones.

About Bridget Walsh

Bridget Walsh lives in Norwich. She has a PhD in ‘Murder in the Victorian Domestic Sphere’ and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia.

 Praise for THE TUMBLING GIRL

‘Bridget Walsh’s THE TUMBLING GIRL is the first in what promises to be an entertaining series of historical mysteries… a narrative that neatly weds historical detail and quiet wit.’ – Nick Rennison, The Sunday Times, ‘The best historical fiction books of May 2023’

‘Ms. Walsh does a splendid job depicting Minnie’s flea-bitten yet appealing theatrical world and Albert’s monied yet treacherous milieu.’ – Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

‘Walsh impresses in this series launch featuring an unlikely pair of investigators in 1876 London… diligent research pays off in spades here, and her rich and nuanced portrayal of the period will leave readers feeling like they’re on the soggy streets of London. Imogen Robertson readers will be eager for a sequel to this un-put-downable mystery.’ – Publishers Weekly, Starred Review and a ‘Books of the Week’ pick

‘Walsh resurrects the culture and crimes of Victoriana without cliché or condescension, but with warmth, wit, remarkable texture and rare authority.’ – Tom Benn

‘A brilliantly written page-turner. A bravura performance tumbling us into a compelling mystery in a vivid, richly imagined world. You can smell the greasepaint and hear the roar of the crowd on every page.’ – Imogen Robertson

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Julian Stockwin bids farewell to the million-copy selling KYDD series with 27th entry ADMIRAL

Author Picture: Allan House

Julian Stockwin, author of the Golden Age of Sail-set KYDD novels, which have charted the rise of Thomas Kydd from conscripted sailor to decorated Admiral in Nelson’s navy, has announced that the series will come to an end after more than twenty years with the latest novel ADMIRAL. This 27th and final novel in the series will be published in the UK by Hodder and Stoughton on 10 October 2024, with an American edition following on 7 January 2025.

“Since I was a young boy I read the great sea novelists – Forester, O’Brian and many others and the sea fever set in. At 15 I enlisted in the Royal Navy. I rose through the ranks and served in the Royal Australian Navy in the Far East, Antarctic waters and the South Seas. I was active in rescuing survivors at the collision of HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Voyager, Australia's largest peacetime naval disaster. Eventually on return to Britain I became a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve. Much later, my wife Kathy suggested I try turning my experiences at sea into novel form.

It had to be Nelson’s Navy I’d write about. I was particularly inspired by the stories of those couple of hundred common seamen who became officers and thereby turned themselves into gentlemen. Some became captains of their own ships; even more remarkably, some became admirals. How could it be so? Just what kind of men were they? So, the story of Kydd, a conscripted man who rose to admiral, was born…

Kydd has taken Kathy and me around the world on location research – Australia, United States, Canada, Europe and more... We have lived with a parallel universe of Kydd, Renzi, Persephone, Cecilia, Stirk and all the other characters for over 20 years! They had become very real to us and we would discuss them as we would real friends. When I pushed the ‘send’ button to deliver the manuscript of ADMIRAL to Hodder I think both Kathy and I held back a tear, not of regret, but sadness at the passing of something that had become so much a part of our being. But life moves on and one of the lessons I have learned is that you cannot force something beyond a natural conclusion.” – Julian Stockwin

Since the first book in the series, KYDD, appeared in 2001, the series has sold over 1.25 million copies in all formats, including translated editions in six languages, with Hodder and Stoughton leading the way as the UK publisher of the series for all 23 years of its existence. In addition, the series regularly appears in the top 3% of all library borrowings, with a quarter of a million in the last five years according to Public Lending Right statistics.

Oliver Johnson, Julian’s editor, comments: ‘Julian’s novels have stood out for their unmatched authenticity, drama, action, nuanced characterisation, an inimitable capture of naval jargon and historical detail. Having been the series editor, and a serial fan, the news that Kydd’s story was ending came as a profound jolt. But what a book to end with. A triumph!’

‘Julian Stockwin’s brilliant storytelling has brought Thomas Kydd and his comrades and adversaries to such vivid life in this classic series, now spanning more than two decades,’ added Isobel Dixon, Julian’s agent at Blake Friedmann. ‘I remember so clearly when the late great Carole Blake (Julian’s first agent) was so captivated by the young hero Kydd, and I have been so honoured to be part of the continuing adventure since. ADMIRAL is indeed a very fine and fitting conclusion – and though it’s with a bit of a pang and a lump in the throat, I take great pleasure in thinking of the treat that Kydd followers have ahead of them, and all that new readers have yet to discover.’

ADMIRAL is the twenty seventh and last of the adventures of Captain Sir Thomas Kydd, whose story began in the year 1793 and tells for the first time in fiction how a pressed man through his bravery and ingenuity progresses to the quarterdeck of his own ship, and here, in the final book of the series, the command of a fleet with an admiral's pennant.

April 1814: Napoleon is deposed and exiled after defeat by a resurgent allied collation. Saddled with huge war debts, the British government has no choice but to place many of its naval ships in reserve. Captain Sir Thomas Kydd is one of the lucky officers not to be put on half pay. Instead, in the realisation of his life's ambition, he is offered an admiral's flag, but the station is West Africa and with it comes anti-slavery operations set in fever-ridden swamps. Despite the obvious dangers and hardships, Kydd readies for sea with his beloved Thunderer as his flagship.

But before he can set sail comes the electrifying news – the tyrant has escaped from Elba and is marching on Paris, the citizens flocking to join him. Napoleon's invasion fleet is still in being and if the French navy declares for him they can sail from the ports now free of blockade and make the invasion of England a reality. What's more, the entire Channel Fleet has been stood down, its ships in various stages of repair.

There's one man in active service who happens to be on the spot – Admiral Sir Thomas Kydd. With frantic haste he's appointed temporary commander-in-chief to sail with all the men-o'-war that can be scraped together to stand athwart the French. Waterloo is coming but before then Kydd must use all his legendary subterfuge and daring to save England from her peril.

About Julian Stockwin

Julian Stockwin is the greatest living author of historical naval fiction, creator of the Thomas Kydd novels, a series of 27 volumes in which Kydd rises through the decks and his adventures take him around the world.  Atmospheric, page-turning narrative, rich with action and great characterisation, this is the first series to highlight the common seaman in the greatest age of fighting sail.

At 14 Stockwin joined a tough sea-training school, followed by the Royal Navy, transferring to the Royal Australian Navy when his family emigrated.  He saw active service in the Far East, the Antarctic, the South Seas and Vietnam, and was on board the Melbourne at the time of its disastrous peace time collision with the Voyager.  Later he worked for NATO on the strategic deployment of merchant shipping.

Stockwin is also author of two novels in the Moments of History series, depicting important turning points in history. The first, THE SILK TREE, tells the dramatic story of how the secret of silk was brought from China to the West. This was followed by POWDER OF DEATH, which shows how the nature of warfare was changed forever by the discovery of gunpowder.  

Praise for Julian Stockwin and the KYDD series

‘Very readable and enjoyable. I recommend that you go out, beg, borrow or buy, and enjoy.’ – Bernard Cornwell

‘For me, there is nothing like the British nautical battles of Horatio Nelson in the early 19th century. He led them to enormous sea victories like the battles of the Nile, Copenhagen and most famously, Trafalgar. Stockwin really knows early British navy lore, with masts, spars, rigging, sails, cannons, frigates, and ships of the line. In Thomas Kydd, the author has a created a wonderful daring-do British commander. Kydd knows his job as captain standing proudly on the deck of his ship of the line. He’s never out-thought or outmaneuvered. Exciting stuff!’ – Mel Brooks, The New York Times

‘The preeminent living historical naval fiction writer on either side of the Atlantic.’ – Quarterdeck

‘In his hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world.’ – The Guardian

‘Vivid descriptions of life on board ship, getting those ships up limited navigable channels to avoid the many bars and mud flats of the River Plate, and the politics of the various factions of those on land all keep the reader glued to the pages. A book to be enjoyed.’ – Historical Novel Society, Editor’s Choice

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Head of Zeus snaps up lakeside romance by debut author Cristina Wolf

Aubrie Artiano, Editorial Director at Head of Zeus, has acquired World English rights in HOW TO WRITE A ROM-COM and a currently untitled novel by Cristina Wolf from Sian Ellis-Martin at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency. HOW TO WRITE A ROM-COM will be published on the Aria imprint in May 2025, with the second book following in May 2026.

Lucy Bowen has had enough of romance. After multiple failed relationships and an extreme lack of Prince Charmings lining up to date her, she’s given up on the idea altogether… except she can’t really do that because she works for NYC’s biggest romance publisher, Heartwarming.

When Heartwarming’s bestselling author Ruby Jones threatens to leave due to dwindling sales, Lucy is sent on a research trip to a tiny lakeside town by her interfering boss. Lucy reluctantly agrees to a month-long trip to the middle of nowhere for the possibility of promotion. But if she messes up, her whole career will be on the line. Before she can say ‘cliché’, Lucy finds herself living an actual small-town romance, complete with a quirky cast of characters and some undeniable chemistry between her and the town hunk, Liam…

As Lucy’s secret mission nears its end, she’s faced with some important decisions: should she tell Liam the truth about why she’s really there? Does she really want to go back to the city? And, might she finally have found love…?

Cristina Wolf said ‘Words can truly not express how excited I am to be working with Aubrie Artiano and the Head of Zeus team on my contemporary romance series. I am incredibly grateful to my agent, Sian Ellis-Martin for quite literally making my dreams come true. As a passionate romance reader, I wrote HOW TO WRITE A ROM-COM as a love letter to my favorite genre, and I hope that shines through on every page.’

Aubrie Artiano said ‘Cristina’s writing is heartfelt, with characters that are flawed, funny, and deeply relatable. This book reads like Virgin River meets How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days.’

Sian Ellis-Martin said ‘I’m so pleased that HOW TO WRITE A ROM-COM found its home with Aubrie and the Aria team at Head of Zeus. Working with Cristina is a dream and I can’t wait for readers to fall in love with her writing and Lucy and Liam’s story just like I have.’

About Cristina Wolf

Writing and reading has been a passion of Cristina’s from the beginning. After graduating from Marist College with a double major in Business and English, Cristina pursued a career in the publishing industry while earning her Master of Science in Publishing from New York University. Cristina has experience working at literary agencies and as an editorial assistant at a publishing house. Finding life in NYC a bit different than she expected, Cristina returned to her native New Jersey where she earned her Master in Teaching from Monmouth University. She now shares her love of books with her students as a middle school English teacher.

Other than working or writing, Cristina loves spending time with her dogs, Zoey and Winnie, exercising on her Peloton, laying on her hammock with a good book, and planning her next trip to Disney World.

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GRACE returns with Series 4 on ITV on 1st September

The first episode of Series 4 of the much-loved Brighton-based detective drama GRACE will air on Sunday 1st September at 8pm on ITV. GRACE is based on the internationally bestselling Detective Superintendent Roy Grace books by Peter James.

John Simm returns as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace for another four feature length films (4 x 120 minutes) which will air on ITV1 and ITVX. Also reprising their roles for series five are Richie Campbell (Top Boy, Stephen) who plays DS Glenn Branson, Zoë Tapper (Liar) as Cleo Morey, Laura Elphinstone (Chernobyl) as DS Bella Moy, Brad Morrison (Outlander) as DC Nick Nicholl and Sam Hoare (The Castaways) as ACC Cassian Pewe. This series will also feature renowned TV and theatre actor, Robert Glenister (Sherwood, Hustle).

Series 4 will be based on four books from the Peter James series: DEAD MAN’S TIME, WANT YOU DEAD, LOVE YOU DEAD and DEAD LIKE YOU. TV tie-in editions of the books were published on 29th August 2024.

The opening episode of GRACE, based on the first Roy Grace novel, DEAD SIMPLE, was broadcast in March 2021 with John Simm starring in the lead role as the tenacious detective. It was a TV Pick of the Day across all the major UK newspapers, appeared on ITV 1’s prime Sunday night slot and viewing figures quickly reached more than 8.8 million, with glowing reviews.

The second series was broadcast in 2022, starting with LOOKING GOOD DEAD, which like the subsequent episode NOT DEAD ENOUGH, topped the chart as most-watched UK TV show of the night. DEAD MAN’S FOOTSTEPS and DEAD TOMORROW followed. The popular streamer Britbox brought the GRACE series to US and Canadian viewers in 2021, followed by further world territories. The third series, DEAD LIKE YOU, DEAD MAN’S GRIP and NOT DEAD YET, began airing in March 2023.

The series was commissioned by ITV’s Head of Drama, Polly Hill, and Drama Commissioner, Huw Kennair Jones.

GRACE is a co-production between Tall Story Pictures, part of ITV Studios, and Vaudeville Productions. Executive producers are Phil Hunter for Tall Story Pictures, and Andrew O'Connor and Paul Sandler for Vaudeville Productions, Kiaran Murray-Smith and Peter James.

Writers for this series are Ed Whitmore for episode one, Ben Court and Caroline Ip for episode two, Tony Marchant for episode three and Jess Williams for episode four. Brian Kelly directs episode one, Billie Eltringham directs episode two and Kiaran Murray-Smith is also the series producer. International distribution is handled by ITV Studios. Grace is a BritBox Original, available exclusively on BritBox in North America and Australia.

The 20th book in the series, ONE OF US IS DEAD, will be published by Pan Macmillan on 24 September 2024. The paperback edition of THEY THOUGHT I WAS DEAD, which reveals the truth behind the dramatic disappearance of Roy Grace’s first wife, Sandy, will be published on 7th November 2024. The hardback edition flew straight to Number One in the Sunday Times bestseller charts. Peter is currently writing the 21st Roy Grace title.

About Peter James
Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels, repeatedly occupying the Number One slot on the Sunday Times bestseller charts in both hardback and paperback. Peter writes both thriller standalones and the hugely popular Brighton-set Roy Grace series, now adapted for ITV by screenwriter and ENDEAVOUR creator, Russell Lewis.

Peter’s books have been translated into 38 languages, with worldwide sales of over 23 million copies and his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has given him 20 Sunday Times Number Ones. In 2015 WH Smith customers voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger, a lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. In 2018 he received a Specsavers Honorary Platinum Bestseller Award and in 2024 he won four Silver Nielsen Bestseller Awards. Peter James has also written two books based on true crime stories, with former senior detective Graham Bartlett.

Successful nationwide tours of the stage plays of THE PERFECT MURDER (2014), DEAD SIMPLE (2015,) NOT DEAD ENOUGH (2017), THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL (2019), LOOKING GOOD DEAD (2021) and WISH YOU WERE DEAD (2023) have packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews. PICTURE YOU DEAD begins touring in 2025 and tickets can be purchased here. His stage shows to date have grossed over £17 million at the box office. Several of his works are optioned for film.

Peter took part in the launch podcast of the Queen’s Reading Room in January 2024, having had the Grace series featured on the Royal Reading Room previously. He appeared on the podcast again in June 2024, where he was named one of Her Majesty’s favourite crime writers and Roy Grace her favourite fictional detective!

Praise for GRACE
‘A stirring return’ – TV Times, 5-star review

‘Truly nail-biting TV and there were great performances, with Simm as watchable as ever as the shrewd, yet vulnerable Grace… With more to come later this year… I’ll certainly be tuning in.’ – Gwendolyn Smith, The i

‘There is a reason why Peter James’s novels have sold all over the world, and one of the main ones is that… Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is a well-written and believable character… Simm makes for a likeable lead and the atmospheric Brighton setting is well used.’ – Sarah Hughes, The Sunday Telegraph, The Very Best of the Week Ahead

‘Darkly compelling’ – Tim Oglethorpe, The Daily Mail

‘Simm gives [Roy Grace] a winning sense of humour beneath all the grit… Campbell is smooth foil, playing Branson quietly enough that Simm doesn’t have to be enormous to stand out. Brighton’s mix of pretty shoreline, faded glamour, criminal past and contemporary hipsterism makes it a ripe spot for some murder. The action feels rooted in its setting… It’s almost inconceivable Simm hasn’t already been in a long running franchise… and I expect the wait’s over.’ – Ed Cumming, The Independent

‘Few people do moody, angst-ridden men better than John Simm, who takes on the role of Grace. With so many books in hand, this series could run and run.’ — The best television shows in the UK this April, Prospect Magazine

‘Simm plays the lead with elegant understatement’ – Mail On Sunday

‘John Simm is very good as gentle DS Roy Grace’ – Carol Midgley, The Times

‘John Simm is perfectly cast as our morose hero.’ – The Sunday Times

‘A very effective appetite-whetter… The unpretentious storytelling makes this an easy watch, helmed by the always watchable Simm.’ – The Mail on Sunday, Pick of the Day

‘Roy Grace doesn’t have any obvious gimmick to mark him out, but he swiftly establishes himself as a solid addition to the Sunday-night pack… Chilling.’ – James Jackson, The Times, Critic’s Choice

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Seven Dials to publish A MOTHER’S PROMISE, Renee Salt’s Holocaust survival story (written with Kate Thompson)

Orion imprint Seven Dials is set to publish the true-life story of Renee Salt, a ninety-five-year-old Holocaust survivor, on 13th February 2025 in Hardback, eBook and audio.

Beth Eynon, Editorial Director for Seven Dials, acquired UK & Commonwealth excluding Canadian rights from Kate Burke at Blake Friedmann in a pre-empt. US rights have also sold to Alcove Press and Canadian rights at auction to Simon & Schuster.

Born Rywka Ruchla Berkowicz in Poland in 1929, Renee was just ten years old when World War II brought horror to her doorstep. In A MOTHER’S PROMISE, Renee tells her story from invasion to liberation, as she was moved from ghetto to camp, with one constant – her mother by her side. Every day for six years, mother and daughter were tangled together in hell. From ghettos to slave labour, Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen, Renee knows that she is only alive today because of her mother. Her memoir is a love letter to her mother, eighty years in the making, and the Research Center at Auschwitz–Birkenau State Museum has described it as ‘part of the legacy so graciously left for the next generation to come’.

Renee met journalist and bestselling author Kate Thompson on Kate’s podcast, From the Library With Love, and chose Kate to help her tell her story.

Renee Salt said: ‘Having a book published at ninety-five feels like a great achievement. Nearly eighty years since my liberation from Bergen-Belsen, a place that you can’t imagine even in your worst nightmares, I am finally telling my story in full. It has been a hard but rewarding experience. I had plenty of sleepless nights reliving it, but it was worth it to leave behind a permanent record of my experience of the Holocaust.’

Kate Thompson said: ‘Helping a Holocaust survivor to write their story comes with huge and heavy responsibility, but being with Renee is like looking into an abyss and finding a glimmer – a beautiful and vulnerable girl who survived against the odds and, eighty years on from her liberation, now needs to tell her story. Travelling to Poland and Germany to retrace Renee's footsteps only intensified my admiration for this remarkable woman.’

Agent Kate Burke said: ‘It’s such a privilege to be working on this project with Renee and Kate. I can’t wait for the fantastic Seven Dials team to bring Renee’s testimony to readers’.

Beth Eynon said: ‘I could not be more proud to be publishing Renee’s memoir here at Seven Dials. Working alongside Kate and Renee on sharing her story has been an honour, and I know readers will be captivated by her life story, and her mother’s courage.’

 About Renee Salt

Renee Salt is a ninety-five-year-old Holocaust survivor. Born Rywka Ruchla Berkowicz in Poland in 1929, she was just 10 years old when World War II brought horror to her doorstep. After surviving Auschwitz-Birkenau, Renee was liberated from Bergen-Belsen in 1945. After moving to Paris, Renee met her husband Charles, a member of the British Army, and part of the the liberating forces at Bergen-Belsen. They married in 1949 and lived in North London, having two children and five grandchildren.

 About Kate Thompson

Kate Thompson is a journalist and bestselling writer. As well as being passionate about capturing lost voices and untold social histories, Kate’s also a library campaigner. Her 100 libraries project celebrates the richness and complexity of librarians work and the vital role of libraries in our communities. Alongside her journalism and writing, Kate is also a podcaster and recently launched her own podcast, From the Library With Love.

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