As we head into December, and the Christmas holiday draws ever closer, we have some fantastic books deals to help you while away the time; simply click on the covers below to take you straight to the promo:

Phillipa Ashley contributed a short story to last week's edition of My Weekly, entitled 'Special Connections'.

The magazine is on sale now. In addition, the magazine reviewed Phillipa's latest book, the fabulously festive The Christmas Holiday:

"I'd defy even the most ardent Christmas grinch not to be converted to loving the season through this gorgeous story. The Christmas Holiday is a total festive treat filled with emotion and entertainment."

Congratulations to Eva Björg Ægisdóttir and Ragnar Jónasson, who saw both their novels respectively shortlisted for the Icelandic Crime Fiction Award. 

Ægisdóttir's Boys Who Hurt and Jónasson's Reykjavík (co-written with Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir) are honoured at this year's Awards.

Both Jo Thomas' Keeping A Christmas Promise and Noel O'Reilly's soon-to-be-published The Darlings of the Asylum were selected as the 'Best Books of December by Apple Books!

Access the full list and download / pre-order your copies here.

Finally, the cover for The Ungrateful Dead, the third in Adam Simcox's The Dying Squad series, has been revealed:

The paperback for M. W. Craven's fifth Washington Poe book, The Botanist, was released last week, as was The Judas Tree by Amanda Jennings (previously published in 2014 as The Judas Scar)​.

Finally, huge congratulations to A. J. West, who last week took home the HWA Debut Crown Award for his novel, The Spirit Engineer​, fighting off stiff competition.

The covers for both the UK (below left) and US (below right) versions of M. W. Craven's Fearless, were revealed last week:

Finally, we were thrilled with the news last week that Sean Lusk's debut, The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley, as well as appearing on BBC2's Between the Covers, was shortlisted for the Scottish First Book of the Year Award 2022.

The Scottish National Book Awards have been awarded by the Saltire Society since 1937 and in 2022 are supported by The National Library of Scotland and the Scottish Historical Review Trust.  All entrants must be born in Scotland, live in Scotland or their books must be about Scotland. 
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The winners of each category will receive a bespoke Award created by Inverness-based artist Simon Baker of Evergreen Studios.  Winners of all the Awards will be announced at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh on the evening of 8 December attended by the judges, shortlisted authors and publishers. 

The paperback cover for Clare Whitfield's second novel, The Gone and the Forgotten​, was revealed over the weekend.

Hot on the heels of the announcement of her second two-book deal with current publishers, Head of Zeus, the paperback will be published in January 2023.

Pre-order here!

Finally, we are delighted to remind you that The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley, the debut novel from Sean Lusk, will be featured on BBC2's Between the Covers tomorrow evening at 7pm. Make sure to tune in!

A brand new month equals a new set of Kindle Monthly Deals for your eReading pleasure. Click on the covers below to take you straight to the deal.

Our thanks to Woman & Home for reviewing two festive sparklers: The Christmas Holiday by Phillipa Ashley and Keeping A Christmas Promise by Jo Thomas:

The Christmas Holiday is also a LoveReadingUK Pick of the Month:

"A gorgeously heart-warming tale of friendship and romance in the perfect setting of the wilds of the Lake District ... it is a perfect Christmas treat for anyone wanting to experience some sparkle and joy."

The cover reveal for the upcoming memoir from Louise Beech, Eighteen Seconds​, was revealed last week:

Another cover revealed last week was Sarah Bonner's second book, Her Sweet Revenge​. 

Congratulations to client A. J. West, who last week saw his debut novel, The Spirit Engineer (perfect for Hallowe'en reading, by the way...) shortlisted for HWA Debut Crown Award 2022. 

​The 2022 HWA Crown Award winners will be announced at the HWA Awards party on 23 November, 2022.

really believe that the in-house passion for Elephants and Diamonds will further build Clare’s readership and bring her even more fans.”

Based on a real-life all-female London crime gang, the Forty Elephants, the novel will follow 19-year-old Eleanor Mackridge, who leaves behind her working-class family to reinvent herself as “Nell the Mack”.

Whitfield said: “I’m elated to be working with Madeleine and Head of Zeus again and thrilled to bring to life this story of a working-class girl in the 1920s as she moves through the ranks of what has to be the most successful female crime gang of all time.”  
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O’Shea added: “I absolutely love Clare’s writing and am thrilled to have secured two more books with her. The historical inspiration behind Elephants and Diamonds is incredible – an all-female crime gang who mixed glamour with ‘Peaky Blinders’-style grit. Clare is a master at weaving fact into fiction and this is going to be an unmissable novel.” ​

The cover for Richard Swan's second book, and the follow-up to his debut, The Justice of Kings, has been revealed. 

Huge congratulations to husband-and-wife writing duo, Satish and Gabrielle Shewhorak, whose joint debut novel, Rani Reports on the Missing Millions, has been sold in a three-book deal to Rock the Boat

​What do a priceless painting, a minotaur, a lighthouse and a glass eye have in common? They’re all part of a treasure trail set by an eccentric millionaire. For 10-year-old aspiring journalist Rani it couldn’t be more perfect. A chance for adventure and also a shot at getting the perfect scoop for a story competition in the local newspaper.

Teaming up with her Nani, who is visiting from Mauritius, she sets out to get to the bottom of the mystery. But solving the clues isn’t so simple…and neither is outwitting rival wannabe journalist Lexi. Can Rani and Nani crack the code and avoid a dangerous nemesis determined to take the prize at any cost?

There will be illustrations throughout from Navya Raju, and the first will publish in June 2023.

To read the full press release, click here.

Rock the Boat has signed a “fresh, fun and diverse” new series for lower middle grade readers written by husband and wife team Satish and Gabrielle Shewhorak.

Commissioning editor Katie Jennings bought world rights in a three-book deal from Hannah Sheppard at D H H Literary Agency. There will be illustrations throughout from Navya Raju. Rock the Boat will publish the first title in the series, Rani Reports on the Missing Millions, in paperback in June 2023.

The book sees junior journalist Rani and her mischievous Nani join forces to unravel a string of newsworthy mysteries. The synopsis explains: “What do a priceless painting, a minotaur, a lighthouse and a glass eye have in common? They’re all part of a treasure trail set by an eccentric millionaire. For 10-year-old aspiring journalist Rani it couldn’t be more perfect. A chance for adventure and also a shot at getting the perfect scoop for a story competition in the local newspaper.

“Teaming up with her Nani, who is visiting from Mauritius, she sets out to get to the bottom of the mystery. But solving the clues isn’t so simple…and neither is outwitting rival wannabe journalist Lexi. Can Rani and Nani crack the code and avoid a dangerous nemesis determined to take the prize at any cost?”

Jennings said: “Rani Reports is Rock the Boat’s first foray into publishing for lower middle grade readers, and Gabrielle and Satish’s series has all the ingredients I was looking for. Mystery and adventure, humour by the bucketload, and vivid characters from a background that is still under-represented in children’s fiction. The curious and determined Rani is the perfect inspiration for any budding journalist, while with Nani and parrot Cookie around, things don’t always go quite as planned…”

Gabrielle Shewhorak, who also writes middle grade under the name Gabrielle Kent, added: “We’re so happy that our Rani Reports series has found a nurturing home with Rock the Boat. With so many ways that children absorb news today, it can be hard for them to know what to trust. Hopefully Rani’s love of story hunting will raise an army of truth-hunting junior journalists, while teaching them about the importance of fact checking as Rani explores print, online and video journalism.”
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Satish Shewhorak said: “Growing up, I rarely saw anyone who looked like me in books, film and TV, and never anyone from Mauritius, where my parents were born. With our daughter now looking for characters that resemble her family I’m delighted that our publisher, Rock the Boat, is among the few taking action on South Asian representation. In this series we hope that all children will enjoy discovering more about the vibrant cultures of Mauritius while laughing at Rani and Nani’s adventures, and cooking up some of Nani’s favourite recipes!”

​From the Bookseller article

Penguin Michael Joseph has signed the “thrilling” fantasy début Voyage of the Damned by Frances White, a creative writing graduate from Royal Holloway, University of London.

Senior commissioning editor Rebecca Hilsdon bought world English rights from Harry Illingworth at D H H Literary Agency, for publication in hardback in early 2024.

The novel follows Ganymedes who – along with 11 others – boards The Dragon’s Dawn as it voyages through the mythical Concordia. But shortly after the ship sets sail someone is murdered, and it isn’t long before the body count begins to rise. It is up to Ganymedes to unmask the killer before everyone on board is damned.

Hilsdon said: “This novel was a total joy from start to finish. Frances has created an incredible world full of humour and heart that is all tied up with a thrilling murder mystery. This is a book that will appeal to crime and thriller readers along with fans of fantasy and Dee is certainly a character no one will forget in a hurry.”

White commented: “I am thrilled Voyage of the Damned has found its home with Penguin Michael Joseph. Rebecca’s enthusiasm and vision for the book perfectly aligns with my own and I’m so excited to be working together.
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“This book has all the trappings of a classic murder mystery – a collection of quirky characters, a claustrophobic setting, and a ticking clock, but also with a hefty dose of magic. I can’t wait to share this story, Dee, and all his chaotic messiness with readers.”

From The Bookseller article | Lauren Brown