Only joking

Congrats too to Michelle MacNamara who's got an agent, following help from Rebecca Horsfall. So huge congrats to Michelle & only slightly smaller ones to Rebecca.

Michelle is now represented by Isabel Atherton at Creative Authors ltd. Michelle tells me "I'm still waiting for someone to jump out and say 'Nah, only joking'!" - I know that feeling but, Michelle, I reckon you're in good hands there. Best of luck!

Caribbean Chemistry

Chris Vanier's lovely collection of Caribbean tales is being published by the Kingston University Press this December. Congrats to him & to Helena Drysdale who helped out with an earlier draft.

We don't always get to see book covers and when we do, I'm not always impressed. But just a look at this beauty. Ain't it lovely? Gorgeous design and lovely colours. Makes you want to pick it up, no? Well done to Chris & to everyone connected with the project.

BlueMoose

And another well done to Mark Radcliffe, whose Gabriel's Angel has been taken on by BlueMoose, an indie with a decent list of new authors. Well done Mark. These days, any deal is brilliant so that's fab news. The book has a brilliant premise - heaven as an ternity of therapy / self-help groups - so it deserves to do well, and could just have that edge which catches the market's attention. best of luck with it.

And more hoorays ...

To Gerard Macdonald, whose absolutely stunning political thriller, The prisoner's Wife, has been taken on by Pete Buckman at Ampersand. I read this one mesmerised myself. It's a cracker, and I hope it sells & sells well. It jolly well deserves to. Dexter Petley was this book's first editor, so well done to him

GM also has a great YA novel ready to go, and I hope that sells very well to. GM is a darn good writer.

An Angel Whispered ...

... or rather shouted, CONGRATULATIONS - to Patty Tashiro, whose book An Angel Whispered has been accepted by O-Books, a specialist devotional / MBS publisher.

That's a terrific outcome for Patty, so well done her. And well done to Jane Struthers who helped her out with comments. Take a bow both of you.

Showing off

Well, then. Ian Thornton's only gone and got an agent. And not any booooring book agent either. He's gone straight to Hollywood, got himself an agent out there, and she's hawking both the book (to New York) and the concept (to all her rich buddies, like Spielberg and Cruise and probably Obama and people too).

Congratulations to Ian - he had a splendid concept (which I won't reveal here) and lashings of talent. That talent had been occluded by a rather overwrought treatment, but just 70,000 words of pruning later, he's obviously hit the jackpot. Monster congratulations all round. Paul Toth and my good self were the original commentators.

Cross Fox Shock

Hooray! Those nice pair at Fox & Howard literary agents pass two lovely editors our way (Claire Gillman & Jane Struthers since you ask). Claire works on a diet book by Maria Cross. It's a good book. Maria sends it out to agents. Fox & Howard take it on.

So congratulations - as ever - to Maria for being talented and to Claire for being her usual fabulously helpful self. But on this occasion to F&H as well for being the agency who provided the editor who made the whole thing happen.

Ain't it nice when things like that happen? Champagne all round.