There’s been good news, great news and important news during yet another whirlwind week for our authors.

C.J. Tudor has revealed the phenomenal cover and blurb for The Burning Girls. The pacey paranormal thriller follows the vicar of a small parish as he uncovers long-buried secrets – and spirits – in his new parish. The title will be released on the 21st January 2021 in the UK by Penguin Random House / Michael Joseph and on the 7th February 2021 in the US by Penguin Random House / Ballantine in the US, and is available for pre-order now.

We can hardly contain our excitement for the upcoming release of Holly Bourne’s newest YA title, The Yearbook (Usborne), a smart and stirring exploration of school life through the eyes of Paige, who’s determined to reveal the truth behind her peers’ perfect facades. It will be published in the UK on the 13th May 2021. The incredible cover was revealed this week, and the title is available for pre-order now.

Th MM Agency would like to take this opportunity to publicly express our support for our client,  Alexandra Wilson, who’s memoir, In Black and White (Hachette / Octopus), was released earlier this year. Wilson, a criminal and family law barrister, was mistaken for a defendant three times whilst in court earlier this week. Her tweets on her experiences went viral, sparking online conversation about racial discrimination within the UK’s court system. Wilson has since received an apology from court officials. Read the full news story here, and her full Twitter thread on the incident below.

We’re still buzzing from Quercus’ release of the teaser trailer for The Deception of Harriet Fleet (Hachette / Quercus) by Helen Scarlett. The gothic historical novel sees governess Harriet trying to make sense of her volatile charge, which leads her to a sinister mystery. Appropriately, the eBook will be released in the UK on Halloween, whilst you will have to wait until the 1st April 2021 for the hardback, which is available for pre-order now.

Lesley Sanderson‘s enticing cover for Our Little Secret (Bookouture) was revealed also revealed this week – this compelling thriller, following the uncovering of secrets between old friends during a weekend away, is published on the 18th December and available for preorder now.

C.J. Tudor has clearly been on a roll this week, having had her short stories included in two anthologies – Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy 3 and After Sundown, which are Fantasy and Horror anthologies respectively. They are available for order now.

And if you simply can’t get enough of her books (we know we can’t) you can join her exclusive official fanclub for inside news, competitions and more here.

As well as being the extraordinary mind behind Saving Missy (UK: HarperCollins / Harper Fiction; US: Penguin Random House / Putnam), Beth Morrey is also a podcast host. Her podcast, ‘One Torn Every Minute’, which gets real about the realities of childbirth, gained her a front page spot on The i this week. Read the full write-up here, and you can listen to the newest episode of the podcast here.

We are thrilled that media personality Camilla Thurlow has chosen Helly Acton‘s hilarious debut, The Shelf (Bonnier Zaffre) as her favourite audiobook of the year.

If you are signed up to The Times and the Sunday Times‘ ‘Crime Club’ newsletter, you may have noticed that Ben Creed‘s excellent City of Ghosts (Wellbeck) has been featured as a crime book “Star Pick”. Be sure to sign up to the newsletter here to see more.

Praise is already coming in for Darren O’Sullivan‘s  psychological thriller, The Players (Hachette / HQ), which is being released on the 21st January 2021. Author John Marrs has called it “a clever concept thriller that leaves you breathless, Darren O’Sullivan’s best work yet.”

Jane Healey delighted guests at the Glasgow Women’s Library this week, for an enlightening  discussion about her debut, The Animals at Lockwood Manor (UK: Pan Macmillan / Mantle; US: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

Our wonderful Children’s and YA authors were unstoppable this week, with phenomenal deals announced for two authors:

We can hardly wait for Lex Croucher to release her YA crossover debut, Reputation, with Bonnier Zaffre. The Regency-era romantic comedy is due to be published in the UK on the 8th July 2021. You can read our full news item now.

And we are over the moon that Maisie Chan will be releasing her heartwarming Middle Grade debut, Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths  in the UK (Bonnier Books / Piccadilly Press) and US (Abrams) on the 10th June 2021. Read more on this here.

Lorelei Savaryn‘s The Circus of Stolen Dreams  (Penguin Random House / Philomel) has also made Barnes & Noble’s list of the best ‘Young Reader Spooky Reads’. See which other spine-tingling titles made the cut here.

Clare Pooley’s The Authenticity Project (Penguin Random House / Transworld) just hit 1,000 Amazon reviews on Amazon. Unsurprisingly, the average rating is  4.5*. You can read some of the book’s glowing praise here.

We want to send warm congratulations to Mark Edwards; his complex thriller, The House Guest (Amazon Publishing / Thomas & Mercer), has made the ‘Most Sold & Most Read Books of the Week’ list on the Amazon UK Charts. See who else made the top 20 here.

Mel Sharrat is the featured author in this week’s ‘Five on Friday’ post, on Jill’s Book Cafe. Read all of her fun musings here.

Book clubs – mark your calendars! The official book club kits for Jenny Bayliss‘ irresistibly feel-good romance, The Twelve Dates of Christmas, are out now.  Macmillan will publish the eBook  in the UK on the 28th September,  followed by the US publication on the 13th October by Penguin Random House / Putnam, and finally in UK paperback on the 12th November. The kits are available for free download here.