The List of Suspicious Things

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For the last two days I have done nothing but read this book or think longingly about when I can return to reading this book. It's sad, and confronting, and comforting, and life-affirming all at the same time. Congrats, Catherine Newman, on an astonishing debut. KATIE BISHOP, author of THE GIRLS OF SUMMER

And if your best comp title doesn’t fit into the guidelines (e.g., A Kestrel for a Knave would be too old) use your judgement. I decided that the agents I was querying would definitely have heard of, if not read A Kestrel for a Knave and that in combination with The Trouble with Goats and Sheep it was the most accurate and best way to represent my work. Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South. Miller revealed how she adapted her famed stage play, “Prima Facie", which starred Jodie Comer as a working class barrister in her West End debut. A heartwarming, and moving experience, and I loved it. I shall be very surprised if this debut novel isn’t a runaway success, and one that the author justly deserves. Carr, formerly part of the London Library Emerging Author scheme, revealed how a chance discovery about a time in Mary Stuart’s life led her to explore the friendships and loves of the fated monarch. The Tower, a feminist historical debut set during Mary Queen of Scots’ imprisonment in Lochleven Castle, is out in February 2024.

Everyday leadership is far more subtle than corporate leadership. Is it a conscious or subconscious thing?

A prize-winning, spine-tingling gothic suspense novel based on a real-life murder trial in 1897 West Virginia We All Want Impossible Things is a thing of rare beauty: sweet and sharp, to be devoured, then remembered and loved life-long. i I could probably write a list of why I thoroughly enjoyed this book: I'm from Yorkshire (not far from Dewsbury), I was around the same age as Miv when the Ripper terrorised the streets, I too had a pretty friend who boys were attracted but she wasn't as nice as Sharon so there the similarity ends. However the main reasons are the plot, the characters and the dialogue of this great first novel. During the PhD she will write another novel and produce a piece of original research into something that has always interested her: the difference in media coverage given to children missing from wealthy families, compared to those from poorer families. Smart and funny and devastating, We All Want Impossible Things has huge Sorrow and Bliss vibes and I didn't want it to end. LAURA PEARSON

Jennie said: “I remember my dad staring open mouthed at the television and saying ‘but I know him, I know him’.”Meanwhile Jennie, who lives in Somerset, will continue studying for her PhD at the University of Bristol. Jennie: I was in a conversation with Hannah when my first ever full manuscript request came through. It was great to be able to share it with someone who totally ‘got’ what that meant. It was even more helpful to have her mop up my tears when I got the subsequent rejection. Plot/structure –regardless of the characters, is there any similarity in how the books works/is structured? E.g., feminist retellings of Greek myths. A book so full of heart that your own will explode with the sheer joy of the goodness of humans, even when faced with pure evil in its many guises. And on top of all that, it carries a message to women that we should remember every day. This is a superb coming of age story cleverly entwined with the mystery of the identity of a serial killer, it’s a story of unbreakable friendships, a life that is better just for knowing that person and the strength we derive from them. It’s beautifully written and I will not deny I have tears rolling down my face at times, this book is truly an experience and one to savour. It isn’t hard to imagine this will be one of the smash hits of 2024. Highly recommended, obviously!!

I think the answers are always inside – so maybe leadership is about following these and ignoring the ‘shoulds’. Jennie is now finishing the final edit of the novel. Hutchinson Heinemann (an arm of Penguin) plans to publish it in 2024, before translations into German, Spanish and other langauges. On paper we shouldn’t be friends. Firstly, we are from totally different generations, secondly our novels are entirely different. But we are friends, good friends and it’s made me doubt everything I know about building connections in my life. Our top tips for writing and nurturing your writing friendship:Hannah: Trying to get a book agented is a full-time job, however, I had Jennie who had advice, tips, but more importantly the most detailed spreadsheet I have ever seen. It was through this incredible piece of Excel wizardry that I saw my agent’s name. I queried with my first two chapters on the Saturday, had a full request on the Monday and was being offered representation (with Emily MacDonald at 42) on Friday. I am indebted to Jennie for all of her hard work because without it I would never have found my agent and the process would have been 100% harder. 6. Celebrate success and commiserate rejection You’re now hugely successful and I learned a lot from that. I remember our conversation about the importance of holding your nerve and I use this mantra even now. ‘Hold your nerve’, or ‘show up’ are probably my favourite mantras in life. For fans of Nora Ephron and Sorrow & Bliss, We All Want Impossible Things is a deeply moving, jubilant celebration of life and friendship at its imperfect, radiant, and irreverent best. This isn’t a London-centric, middle-class novel; it’s a northern, working-class novel, and I love that the translations will be read all over the world.”