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Mainstream Publishing Newsletter
April 2010
In this issue . . .
Mainstream is delighted to have acquired world rights to Car Trouble: A Childhood on Four Wheels by Wensley Clarkson who has been described by Piers Morgan as 'Jeremy Clarkson with brains'. He went on to say 'if you love cars you'll love this book.' It does for cars what Fever Pitch did for football and High Fidelity did for music. Car Trouble presents a portrait of a middle-class boy virtually left to run his own life in one of the world's biggest cities. Yet through that neglect emerged a quick- witted survivor whose life was uniquely shaped by his childhood obsession with cars. Mainstream will publish in June, the manuscript is now available. For further information contact fiona.brownlee@mainstreampublishing.com
Dog Days In Andalucia has been sold to Amber in Poland.
Voices Of The Foreign Legion has been sold to Piemme in Italy.
Soljas has been sold to Guerra & Paz in Portugal.
Naughty Nineties has been sold to Trolsen Communicate in Germany.
Also offers for North American rights for Two Wheels On My Wagon and for Chinese rights for Dog Days in Andalucia.
Published to critical acclaim recently was Chris Welles Feder's memoir, In My Father's Shadow, about her life as the daughter of the legendary Orson Welles. The Daily Mail's serialisation was followed by interviews in The Observer and the Saturday Telegraph Magazine, a feature in The Guardian's film section, and excellent reviews across the board in The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Observer, The Sunday Times , the Mail on Sunday, Metro, The Guardian and The Scotsman. The memoir was also chosen by director and playwright Stephen Poliakoff as one of his 'hot tickets' of the week in The Times.
Recollections of a Racketeer author, Patrick Lane, has been interviewed by The Independent on Sunday's New Review. It will appear on 25 April. The book also got an excellent full-page review in Inside Time magazine, which is distributed to every prison in the UK. Patrick was delighted with it, though he did say when he wrote the book he didn't envisaged it being read by a prison audience! The film Mr Nice is out later this year and we have more interest from the press in interviewing Patrick then.
News of the World gave The Night Stalker by Philip Carlo three stars in their recent review. They said 'Carlo...gets to the heart of [Ramirez's] dark soul.' The UK's top crime magazines, Crime Time and True Crime will both be reviewing the book.
Also attracting press attention has been bestselling true crime writer and acclaimed investigative journalist Graham Johnson's first novel, Soljas. The News of the World gave the debut novel a 4-star review, saying that 'Johnson - is an expert on inner city life and his grasp of gang culture seeps through on every page - a bloody good read' and The Sun described it as 'a rip-roaring plot set against a backdrop of gang shootings, burning skylines and the heavens filled with police choppers and unmanned surveillance drone - [a] terrifying insight into gang culture'.
Just published is Carol Ann Lee's definitive biography of Moors murderer Myra Hindley, One Of Your Own, which has already received fantastic national press coverage. The Mail on Sunday said that the biography was 'Scrupulously researched and clear-sighted - probably the most accurate account we have so far of how a 'perfect storm' of circumstances -- psychological, moral and cultural -- turned a damaged but sane young woman into the most notorious female killer of the 20th century', whilst The Scotsman described it as, '[An] intelligent and impressively fair-minded biography'. The Herald's reviewer said that it was, '[A] fine book and may, indeed, be the definitive, straightforward take on a tragic, repugnant episode in the life of our post-war Britain.' An extract is due to run in the Daily Mail, and The Times will run their review on Saturday 10 April. Carol Ann Lee was also interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour on Friday 9 April, and has been busy doing regional radio and press interviews far and wide. Long may the great coverage continue!
We have also receiving some brilliant press at the moment is boxing legend Steve Bunce's novel, The Fixer, which Tony Parsons recently described in the Daily Mirror as, 'A Raymond Chandler for twenty-first century. A hard- boiled, two-fisted, wise-cracking novel about the boxing world's black underbelly.' He went on to say that, 'As a thriller writer, Steve Bunce wipes the floor with Stieg Larsson.' High praise indeed! Next Friday, 16 April, Sport magazine will run their review of the book, and coverage has also been confirmed in The Observer and The Daily Telegraph. With Steve's shows on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London, the book has also had great mentions on those networks.
And finally, Dog Days in Andalucia, by Jackie Todd, has also been described by Val Hennessy in the Daily Mail as, 'A heartwarming memoir'. Jackie has also done interviews with Real People magazine and Living Abroad, and a review has been confirmed in glossy women's monthly magazine Woman & Home. Watch this space for more news next time
Bestselling author Graham Johnson held a talk and signing for his new crime fiction novel Soljas at Waterstones in Liverpool earlier in March. The event was filmed for a German TV channel doing a documentary on UK gangs.
Meanwhile new author Dominic Stevenson launched his Shanghai memoir Monkey House Blues on the 25 March at Jarrold's Dept Store in Norwich.
Boxing supremo Steve Bunce appeared at Waterstones in the Trafford Centre, Manchester to promote his new boxing thriller The Fixer. Steve signed copies of the book and was interviewed by various local radio stations.
Coming up this month, award-winning author Paul Howard will be discussing his new book Two Wheels On My Wagon at two evening talks:
Sunday 18 April at Down's Leisure Centre, Seaford at 8pm
Friday 23 April in The Great Hall at Danny House, Hurtspierpoint, Sussex at 6pm.
Carol Ann Lee, author of One of Your Own, will be appearing at Waterstones, Deansgate in Manchester at the end of April, the date for this is still to be confirmed.
Congratulations to designer, Emily Bland, on her recent marriage to Alan MacKenzie. They have just returned from a honeymoon to Kuala Lumpar, Australia, and Thailand.
Welcome home Mr and Mrs MacKenzie!