‘Jaws at 35,000 feet’: the flight attendant whose thriller debut sold for seven figures

TJ Newman dreamt up her terror-in-the-skies novel Falling while guarding the cockpit as the pilots took a toilet break. She reveals how she kept going through furlough and 41 rejectionsFlight attendant Torri Newman was working on the red-eye flight from Los Angeles to New York when the idea for her debut novel came to her. To be precise, she was blocking access to the cockpit, a security procedure required when pilots take a toilet break. “I was standing at the front of the airplane,” she says, “looking out at the passengers. It was dark and they were all asleep. And I had this thought, ‘All of their lives, our lives, are in the hands of the pilots.’ That’s not exactly new – but the flipside of that also came to mind. With that much power and responsibility, how vulnerable does that make a commercial pilot?”Newman, speaking via Zoom from her home in Phoenix, Arizona, was rattled. “I just couldn’t shake the thought. A few days later, I was working a different trip with a different set of pilots, and I said to the captain, ‘Hey, what would you do if your family was taken, and you were told that if you didn’t crash the plane, they would be killed?” What was his reaction? “He had no clue what he would do – the thought terrified him.”I almost gave up. But seeing two authors at a Q&A reminded my why I had to keep going Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-05-04 05:00:21 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: Sexy Toys to Celebrate 35 Years

In celebration of its 35th anniversary, Cleis Press will offer a wide assortment of lively events and promotions during BEA. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Headline deal for 'captivating' debut by Waterstones bookseller

Headline has acquired an “utterly captivating debut novel” by an “exciting new talent” who works at Waterstones. Commissioning editor Emily Griffin bought British Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, to The Second Love of My Life by Victoria Walters from Hannah Ferguson at Hardman &... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World’s Most Expensive Cookbook? Yes, It is $13,000

A new cookbook from Bloomsbury by celebrity chef Vikas Khanna is printed in gold ink, launched at Cannes, and costs $13,000. The post World’s Most Expensive Cookbook? Yes, It is $13,000 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Female shortlist for debut book prize

A writer who penned her first novel in her 40s is among three female authors shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize for new fiction. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2015-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Week announces 100,000 giveaway for 20th anniversary

Dennis Publishing weekly magazine to be handed out for free on Friday in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Leeds, Bristol and BirminghamThe Week is to give away 100,000 free copies on Friday to mark its 20th anniversary in the largest sampling campaign the weekly news digest’s history.Copies of the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pan Mac acquires Gwynne trilogy in six-figure deal

Pan Macmillan has acquired a new epic fantasy series in a six-figure deal. Senior commissioning editor Bella Pagan bought world rights to John Gwynne’s standalone trilogy from agent John Jarrold. The trilogy will be set in the same stirring Celtic-inspired world as Gwynne’s first quartet, the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook debuts Instant Articles with 9 media outlets

Facebook has launched Instant Articles, enabling media outlets to publish their stories directly to the social network. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orbit buys Snakewood debut fantasy

Orbit has acquired a debut epic fantasy which tells the story of a band of mercenaries hunted by an unknown killer. Commissioning editor Jenni Hill acquired world rights to Snakewood by Adrian Selby from Jamie Cowen of the Ampersand Agency. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales figures tell all about the UK's waning love for celebrity memoirs

Publishing industry data for 2014 spills the beans on decline in biography and cookbook sales, while children’s literature in print rises by 10%Publishers used to have a simple recipe for a bestseller: sign up a celebrity or a TV chef and get the book out for Christmas.Not any more. The latest... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tunisia debut wins IPAF award

A debut novel that chronicles Tunisia’s recent political history has won the 2015 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF).   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: 'Hope' Debuts at #4

Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus's account of their abduction by Ariel Castro, came in at #4 on Apple's iBooks bestseller list for the week ended May 4. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Alice Notley Wins $100,000 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize

The Poetry Foundation has awarded Alice Notley the 2015 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, which recognizes the outstanding lifetime achievement of a living U.S. poet. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The in-flight magazine with serious literary aspirations

United Airlines’ Rhapsody magazine features the likes of Joyce Carol Oates and Anthony Doerr. All you have to do to get a copy is pony up for a first-class ticketWould you like to read a new monthly luxury lifestyle and literary magazine, crammed with articles about theatre, art and fine dining,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orenda signs Norwegian literary thriller by Ravatn

Orenda Books has signed a literary thriller, titled The Bird Tribunal, from Norwegian author Agnes Ravatn. Karen Sullivan, publisher of Orenda Books, acquired world English language rights in the novel from Eirin Hagen of the Hagen Agency. The Bird Tribunal is a tense thriller and a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obama to provide 10,000 free ebooks through your library

President Barack Obama announced a new program on Thursday aimed at delivering access for more than 10,000 ebooks to financially strapped schoolchildren throughout the United States. The $250 million program will feature titles from numerous publish... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Little Prince inscribed first edition goes on sale for £150,000

Early copy of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic story features drawing and note of thanks to Dorothy Barclay, a reporter’s assistant who helped him estimate for the number of stars visible from Earth“I am concerned with matters of consequence,” declares the star-gazing businessman whom Antoine... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tumour memoir wins £30,000 book prize

A memoir written by the wife of an art critic who died of a brain tumour wins a £30,000 prize for new books about medicine, health or illness. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US pays seven figures for Zaffre's Maestra

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With 100,000 Pieces of Content at Launch, Mode.com Expects 25 Million Monthly Users

Just one year after rebranding from Glam Media, Mode Media is bringing all of its brands together on one site where it hopes to build the "largest native feed distribution platform outside of Facebook." At its second Digital Content NewFronts presentation today, Mode unveiled its new... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trade figures limber up for London Marathon

Figures from across the publishing industry are limbering up for the Virgin London Marathon this Sunday (26th April). Nick Coveney, head of digital at Blink Publishing, will be running to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society and the Albert Kennedy Trust via his fundraising page. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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