Starting off this week's DHH News Roundup, is the very exciting news that the casting for the audiobook for Victoria Selman's forthcoming novel, Truly, Darkly, Deeply has been announced! ​Quercus will publish in audio, eBook and hardback on 7 July.

Selman said: "I’m thrilled Tuppence Middleton, whose work I admire so much, will be narrating Truly, Darkly, Deeply and can’t wait to hear how she brings the story and characters to life."
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Managing Editor, Audio, Hannah Cawse said: "Truly, Darkly, Deeply is a dark novel that unsettles the reader at every turn. Tuppence is a fantastic actor and narrator and it’s so exciting to have her on the audiobook. Listeners will be completely hooked by her performance."  

The book also picked up a fantastic review from the Financial Times last week:

"The accumulating tension is screwed tight in the ingeniously constructed narrative."
Financial Times

If you have yet to book your tickets, and find yourself near Brighton on Tuesday 12th July, then make sure you book your tickets to see Victoria in conversation with fellow author, SJ Watson (author of the bestselling Before I Go To Sleep).

With drinks free-flowing, the event will be held at Goldsboro Books' Brighton branch and a signing will take place afterwards.

The forthcoming debut adult novel from YA author, Amy Beashel, has picked up some brilliant endorsements ahead of its publication in 2023 from HarperNorth:

​“An absolute triumph. A story so real, so raw, and so beautifully told it gave me chills from the first page to the last.”
Jessica Ryn 

“Spilt Milk is the real thing; a novel that embraces the brutal, glorious, hopeful, impossible truths of motherhood, marriage and friendship, scrutinising love and loving for what is authentic and what is not. Beashel sugar-coats none of it, and Spilt Milk is all the better for it. Bea is a fourth-wave feminist heroine, and we need many more like her.” 
Stella Duffy

"Brutally honest and so beautifully written, this outstanding novel is a complex and compelling exploration of motherhood, marriage and what happens when the unsayable is said. Everyone should read it.”
Louisa Reid

Spilt Milk is a powerful, controversial and ultimately empowering novel about modern relationships and the choices we make. The story of a mother and her struggles around the complexities of motherhood, it speaks to women everywhere who are battling with the gap between the lives they thought they’d lead and the tracks society leads them down.

The next gorgeous getaway book from Jo Thomas, Retreat to the Spanish Sun, designed to whisk you up, up & away to stunning southern Spain, was also published in paperback last week:

​Eliza has a full house! When her three children grew up and moved out, she downsized to a smaller property... but now they're all back. Every room in the house is taken and Eliza finds herself sharing her bed with her eldest daughter and her daughter's pug. Combined with the online course she's trying to finish, plus her job to fit in, there just isn't the peace and quiet that Eliza needs.

Finally, we are delighted to be able to announce the very exciting news that screen rights to Marina Palmer's The Russian Doll have been bought by Bruna Papandrea’s production company, Made Up Stories. Endeavor Content brokered the book deal with Emily Hayward Whitlock at the Artists Partnership on behalf of Hodder & Stoughton.

​Made Up Stories has previously produced TV projects including The Undoing, Pieces of Her, Anatomy of a Scandal, Long Slow Exhale and, in partnership with Endeavor Content, Nine Perfect Strangers, Wolf Like Me and Roar.

​To read the full press release, click here.

We are kicking this week's DHH News Roundup off with a bang, and the absolutely brilliant news that Sean Lusk's debut novel, The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley is The Times' Historical Fiction Book of the Month!

"Using lively prose and filled with intriguing characters, this is an enjoyable and imaginative debut."

The book was also reviewed in CultureFly:

"The best summer reads are those books you can completely lose yourself in and Sean Lusk's debut absolutely fits the bill. Immersing readers in an intriguing world of clock and automata inventions, Lusk's historical adventure evokes the spirit of Dickensian classics with a fantastic twist."

The cover for Amy Beashel's second YA book, We Are All Constellations​ (October 2022, Rock the Boat / Oneworld), was revealed last week:

We are over the moon to be able to finally announce the new deal signed by M. W. Craven for both more in the Washington Poe series, and a brand new series, featuring lone wolf protagonist Ben Koenig, beginning with Fearless. 

Krystyna Green, publishing director, acquired UK and commonwealth rights, including Canada, in a six-figure deal from David Headley. Fearless will be published in hardback, e-book and audio in June 2023 simultaneously with Flatiron Books, which has bought North American rights in the series. 

To read the full press release, click here.​

Congratulations to Bethan James, who last week was made a finalist for the Rhys Davies Award for 'Best Unpublished Short Story by a Welsh-Based Writer', for The Space Between Pauses.

​The competition recognises the very best unpublished short stories in English in any style and on any subject up to a maximum of 5,000 words by writers aged 18 or over who were born in Wales, have lived in Wales for two years or more, or are currently living in Wales.

​The overall winner will receive £1,000 and will have their winning entry featured in The Rhys Davies Short Story Award Anthology 2022, to be published by Parthian Books in October 2022.  

All twelve stories will be published in the 2022 Rhys Davies Award Anthology, published by Parthian. Edited by Dr Elaine Canning, Head of Special Projects at Swansea University, the collection will also include an introduction by the multi-award-winning writer and guest judge Rachel Trezise. Each of the shortlisted writers will also receive £100.

​Find out more here.

Finally, we are delighted for client Dee Benson, who has seen her debut YA novel, Glow Up, Lara Bloom, sold to Bonnier imprint, Hot Key Books, along with its sequel. 

Glow Up, Lara Bloom follows teenage catastrophe Lara, sharing her innermost thoughts in her secret online journal. From bad hair days to ultra-embarrassing moments, there’s never a normal day in Lara’s life. How will she ever convince her super-cute crush, Caiden, to like her back? Lara thinks it’s time to give herself a glow up, but should you ever glow up for a boy?




​Senior commissioning editor Ruth Bennett acquired World English Language rights from Hannah Sheppard to the “funny and heartwarming” books, the first of which will publish in paperback, e-book and audio in February 2023, with the second title publishing in February 2024. 

​To read the full press release, click here.​

Constable has signed three more titles from M. W. Craven, including the continuation of the Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw series and the launch of a new series featuring lone-wolf protagonist Ben Koenig, beginning with Fearless.
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Krystyna Green, publishing director, acquired UK and commonwealth rights, including Canada, in a six-figure deal from David Headley at The DHH Literary Agency. Fearless will be published in hardback, e-book and audio in June 2023 simultaneously with Flatiron Books, which has bought North American rights in the series. 

"With this highly commercial, fast-paced thriller it’s the perfect opportunity to build Mike into a global brand," said Green. "Mike is already an established brand author here in the UK with his much-loved and award-winning Poe and Bradshaw series, and this new series gives us the chance to really grow Mike, publishing two series a year from him."
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Craven commented: "I couldn’t be prouder that Poe and Bradshaw’s journey will continue with Constable. Since draft one of The Puppet Show the Constable team’s enthusiasm has been unmatched, and that shines through in the final product. This new contract will take the series up to eight full-length novels, but I doubt very much we’ll be stopping there. I’m equally proud that they will be publishing the new series. Set in the States, it’s different to anything I’ve written before, but I can’t wait to introduce new and existing readers alike to the violent and unpredictable world of Ben Koenig."

From The Bookseller article | Katie Fraser

Hot Key Books, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired two contemporary teen novels by debut author Dee Benson: Glow Up, Lara Bloom and its sequel.

Senior commissioning editor Ruth Bennett acquired world English-language rights from Hannah Sheppard at D H H Literary Agency to the “funny and heartwarming” books. Glow Up, Lara Bloom will publish in paperback, e-book and audio in February 2023, with the second title publishing in February 2024. 

Glow Up, Lara Bloom follows teenage catastrophe Lara, sharing her innermost thoughts in her secret online journal. From bad hair days to ultra-embarrassing moments, there’s never a normal day in Lara’s life. How will she ever convince her super-cute crush, Caiden, to like her back? Lara thinks it’s time to give herself a glow up, but should you ever glow up for a boy?

Benson said: “Glow Up, Lara Bloom is a love letter to adolescence and all the joyful, messy craziness of that transitional phase. I’m immensely grateful to Ruth and the exceptional team at Hot Key Books for making my dreams come true. I know my book is in the right hands and I can’t wait for readers young and old to meet Lara Bloom and her friends.”

Bennett added: “Dee captures both the agony and the hilarity of teen friendship and crushes in a way that is a delight to read. She celebrates the coming-of-age experience in a way that we think will be truly empowering for young readers, allowing them to see themselves in Lara and laugh along with her. Step aside, Georgia Nicholson! Lara Bloom is the new icon for teens today.”

From The Bookseller article | Lauren Brown

Kindle are running a brand new promotion for the month of June - Start A Series - and included are just some of the brilliant titles included. 

Simply click on the cover below to take you straight to the deal:

Julie Caplin's most recent 'Romantic Escapes' book, The Cosy Cottage in Ireland is no.12 in the Heatseekers' 'Year to Date' Top 20! Congratulations, Julie!

Published last week was the stunning debut novel from Sean Lusk, The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley (Transworld). 

​In 1754, renowned maker of clocks and automata Abel Cloudesley must raise his new-born son Zachary when his wife dies in childbirth.

Growing up amongst the cogs and springs of his father's workshop, Zachary is intensely curious, ferociously intelligent, unwittingly funny and always honest - perhaps too honest. But when a fateful accident leaves six-year-old Zachary nearly blinded, Abel is convinced that the safest place for his son is in the care of his eccentric Aunt Frances and her menagerie of weird and wonderful animals.

So when a precarious job in Constantinople is offered to him, Abel has no reason to say no. A job presented to him by a politician with dubious intentions, Abel leaves his son, his workshop and London behind. The decision will change the course of his life forever.

Since his accident, Zachary is plagued by visions that reveal the hearts and minds of those around him. A gift at times and a curse at others, it is nonetheless these visions that will help him complete a journey that he was always destined to make - to travel across Europe to Constantinople and find out what happened to his father all those years ago.

Over the weekend, the book received a glowing review from the Sunday Express:

"Packed with intrigue, vividly drawn characters and heartstopping emotion, this beautifully written, ingeniously crafted debut is absolutely enthralling. ****"

Sean also wrote a piece for the Irish Times on his novel, and "the age of automata, whose promise and perils foreshadowed our own age of AI". Read the piece here.

Also published last week was The Gone and the Forgotten (Head of Zeus), the second novel from Clare Whitfield (author of People of Abandoned Character). 

​An absent father.
A missing girl.
Buried family secrets.
Is the truth worth searching for?

Sixteen-year-old Prue has grown up around secrets. Her gran's stern silence, her mother's teary breakdowns, her aunt's whispered assurances. But now, in the aftermath of her mum's latest 'episode', Prue's decided she's old enough for the truth. She wants to know what it is that makes the adults around her turn tight-lipped and distracted. She wants to know why her mum can't cope. Most of all, she wants to know who her dad is.

Forced to spend the summer in the Shetlands with her aunt, Ruth, and new uncle, Archie, Prue arrives determined to find some answers. But she soon finds herself caught up in a web of family secrets, betrayals and – perhaps – even murder...

Set during one long summer in Shetland, this is a beautifully drawn, psychologically astute novel about a young woman's search for truth, even as she realises the lies that surround her have been keeping her safe.

Client Adam Simcox and his other half, Kirsty Eyre, appeared on an episode of The Write and Wrong podcast last week, talking about balancing home life with their busy writing careers. Adam's next book, The Generation Killer, the second in the Joe Lazarus series, is published in August 2022.

​Catch up here.

Gollancz, Orion’s science fiction and fantasy imprint, has signed two spin-off books from the sci-fi detective comedy podcast “Victoriocity” from client couple Chris and Jen Sugden.  

​Rachel Winterbottom, senior commissioning editor at Gollancz, acquired world all language rights to the two books from Harry Illingworth at DHH Literary Agency, with the first, entitled Victoriocity, to publish in hardback on 9th November 2023. 

To read the full press release, click here.​

Gollancz, Orion’s science fiction and fantasy imprint, has signed two spin-off books from the sci-fi detective comedy podcast “Victoriocity” from couple Chris and Jen Sugden.  

Rachel Winterbottom, senior commissioning editor at Gollancz, acquired world all language rights to the two books from Harry Illingworth at DHH Literary Agency, with the first, entitled Victoriocity, to publish in hardback on 9th November 2023. 

It tells the story of ex-Detective Inspector Archibald Fleet and journalist Clara Entwhistle who have launched Even Greater London’s first ever detective agency. When a missing person’s case lands on their doorstep, Clara leaps at the chance to solve it, the synopsis continues. Every week, a man has printed the same message in the classifieds, telling his lover he will wait for her on Blackfriars Bridge. Instead of a romantic reunion, however, he’s smuggled away into the night. Fleet, meanwhile, is distracted by the case of London’s most sensational bank heist: impenetrable vaults are being emptied across the city. With the agency – and their lives – at risk, the pair find themselves at the centre of a conspiracy of unimaginable proportions.   
 
The authors said: “We are thrilled to be bringing the world of Even Greater London and the adventures of Fleet and Clara to readers. The ’Victoriocity’ podcast has found a larger and more passionate audience than we ever could have hoped, and with these novels we are excited to share new, standalone stories that will be an ideal jumping-on point for newcomers (while also, for existing fans, opening up new parts of the city and goings-on only hinted at up until now). We are delighted to be working with Rachel, whose passion and expertise have been invaluable, and to have found in Gollancz the perfect home for these stories." 

Illingworth said Winterbottom’s enthusiasm for Victoriocity was “infectious from the start” and that she was the perfect editor to bring the book to life. “This novel is just what we need right now; the perfect combination of humour, science fiction and mystery,” he said. 
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Winterbottom added she was a huge fan of the podcast and the pair’s version of history is “as clever as it is comedic.” She said: “Mystery and murder have never been so fun, and I can’t wait for listeners and readers to experience the incredible world of Even Greater London."

From The Bookseller article | Lauren Brown

If you're looking for some remarkable books to see you through June, then look no further. The below titles are available for Kindle's Monthly Deal, all for only 99p!

Simply click on the book jacket above, to take you straight to the deal!

Congratulations to M. W. Craven, whose new instalment in his much-loved Washington Poe series, The Botanist ​(Constable Books), was published last week in hardback, eBook and audio. 

​Poe hates locked room mysteries and now he has two to solve. To unravel them he's going to have to draw on every resource he has: Tilly Bradshaw, an organised crime boss, even an alcoholic ex-journalist. Because if he doesn't, the bodies are going to keep piling up...

In addition to its release, the book was selected as The Times' Book of the Month for June!

The cover for Maddie Please's forthcoming novel, Old Friends Reunited (July 2022, Boldwood Books), was revealed last week:

The third book in Eva Björg Ægisdóttir's DI Elma series, Night Shadows (July 2022, Orenda Books), has sold to De Fontein in the Netherlands, the Dutch home for the first two in the series, The Creak on the Stairs and Girls Who Lie. 

Icelandic detective Elma faces mortal danger as she investigates the death of a young man in a mysterious Akranes house fire, and a Dutch au pair's perfect placement turns deadly...

This week, we're delighted to welcome new client, Michael Delahaye, to the Agency. 

A former BBC TV reporter and correspondent, Michael joins Tom Drake-Lee's list and has published three thrillers, Stalking Horse, On the Third Day, and The Sale of Lot 236 (all Constable Books).

He is currently working on a novel set in the 2030s about an attempt to bring down the House of Windsor.