We’re kicking off the highlights with some hugely exciting news.

It was announced in Grazia this week that leading actress in the stunning adaptation of Normal People, Daisy Edgar-Jones, is the narrative voice for Helly Acton’s contemporary novel, The Shelf. This brilliant novel was published in eBook and Audio yesterday by Bonnier / Zaffre, and will be published in hardback on 9th July.

Danielle Jawando’s moving YA novel, And the Stars Were Burning Brightly (Simon & Schuster Children’s), has been reviewed in Culturefly this week. They called it “a brilliant, painful, nuanced story”.

The fifth and final instalment of Kitty Wilson’s beloved Cornish Village School series, Happy Ever After, was published this week by Canelo.

It’s been a brilliant week for Alexandra Wilson. Her memoir, In Black And White (Octopus), was given a glowing review by author Benjamin Zephaniah, who said: ‘Raw, ambitious drive, with compassion at its heart, is a rare thing. But here it is. This is the story of a young woman who overcame all the obstacles a very old profession could throw at her, and she survived, with her integrity intact.’

Alexandra was not only named Barrister of the Week by The Lawyer Magazine, she was awarded  “Queen of the Week” by Six the Musical, who said: Today we are crowning the incredible @essexbarrister as our Queen of the Week! She was nominated by @callumtakemetochurch “for being an absolute hero of the legal world, and a woman who volunteered to represent BLM protestors pro-bono. Truly an inspiration to anyone.”

Abigail Mann is taking part in DebutBooksUK2020 “Funny Women Debut Author Event” on Facebook’s Fiction Cafe Book Group, to talk about her hilarious debut, The Lonely Fajita (HarperCollins / One More Chapter).

Poonam Mistry’s stunning picture book, You’re Strong With Me (Lantana), was Pathway’s Into Children’s Publishing “Book of the Week” this week. They said: “A richly-illustrated story about a mother giraffe gently reassuring her baby as they go through life in the sweltering savannah during the dry season. The ornate illustrations and the soothing text work well together, making the reader feel like they are there beside the characters out in the wilderness.”

Jane Healey is taking part in an interview this evening with Wandsworth Town Library to discuss her gothic debut novel, The Animals at Lockwood Manor (Macmillan / Mantle). Watch using the link here.

United By Books included Namina Forna’s stunning YA novel, The Gilded Ones (Usborne) in their round up of the “Upcoming YA Books By Black Authors You’ll Need in Your Life“.

Elizabeth Kay’s chilling and twisty debut, Seven Lies, was published in the US this week by Penguin Random House / Pamela Dorman Books.

Seven Lies  was reviewed on Gwyneth Paltrow’s site goop in their Summer 2020 Book List! They said: “This is the smartest thriller we’ve read in a while. Which is to say it messed with our minds. Seven Lies is told in seven parts—each one marked by a lie that Jane tells her best friend, Marnie. You can see how the first lie happened: Marnie asked Jane if she liked Marnie’s awful husband. And Jane said yes. What comes next is much less innocent and much more obsessive. It’s twisted and thrilling, and you will zip through it.”

Episode two of Katherine May’s podcast, The Wintering Sessions was released this week. In this episode, she was talking to fellow Agency Author Leah Hazard (author of the memoir, Hard Pushed) about midwifery, motherhood and coping with stress.

And for the latest news from our international rights team, keep an eye on our website for brilliant deals, gorgeous international covers and much more…