The author was repeatedly told that no one wanted to read fun books with disabled heroes. Now she has won the £5,000 Waterstones children’s book prize for her debut, A Kind of SparkWhen Scottish author Elle McNicoll was first trying to enter the publishing world, she was repeatedly told that people didn’t want to read about an autistic heroine. “In job interviews, I was saying that I wanted to see more books with disabled characters in them that were not traumatic, boring or educational, but fun and full of life. A lot of the reactions were, ‘Waterstones don’t like books like that’,” she says.Now McNicoll’s debut novel A Kind of Spark has won the Waterstones children’s book prize. Published by tiny independent Knights Of, it follows Addie, an 11-year-old autistic girl, as she campaigns for a memorial to the witch trials that took place in her Scottish village. The novel has been praised by Waterstones’ booksellers as “eye opening, heart-wrenching, sad [and] inspiring”. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2021-07-01 05:01:05 UTC ]
Find Kristen L. Berry’s successful query to agent Sharon Pelletier for her debut novel "We Don't Talk About Carol." The post Successful Queries: Sharon Pelletier and “We Don’t Talk About Carol,” by Kristen L. Berry appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-06-03 22:11:41 UTC ]
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Efforts raise questions about the far right’s place in the broader culture wars waged by the Trump administration The far right US publisher Passage Press is now part of Foundation Publishing Group and it is connected via a Foundation director, Daniel Lisi, to Network Press, whose only title to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-06-03 10:00:33 UTC ]
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As the first season of her podcast ends, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is looking to build on the success of As Ever, the brand she built with Netflix. Meghan carries many titles these days. Besides being the Duchess of Sussex, she’s a podcaster, a philanthropist, a children’s book author, the... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2025-05-27 07:30:00 UTC ]
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In the work of artists I admire, all the training and discipline come out in an act of letting go: a splotch of ink, a wayward wash of color. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2025-05-23 09:00:04 UTC ]
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Today, the Griffin Poetry Prize announced that Dawn Macdonald has won the 2025 Canadian First Book Prize for Northerny (University of Alberta Press). The prize judges called the book “a blast of crisp Yukon air. Funny and fresh, unexpected and daring, it understands ‘the personal is heretical,’... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-05-21 14:15:35 UTC ]
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£20,000 award for writers aged 39 or under goes to story ‘tackling trauma and grief with bold and poetic moments of quirkiness and humour’A novel about a Palestinian woman who participates in a pyramid scheme reselling Birkin bags has won this year’s Swansea University Dylan Thomas... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-05-15 18:15:33 UTC ]
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In The Lilac People, my debut novel about trans people in Weimar Berlin and Nazi Germany, I have a side character so small, they’re downright tertiary. Dora Richter has no speaking role, nor does she have any impact on the plot. And yet she’s included because she’s important, and she was real.... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-05-09 11:10:00 UTC ]
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“Sleep,” the debut novel by Honor Jones, moves back and forth in time between a 35-year-old mother’s present and her disturbing, unresolved past. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2025-05-09 09:00:05 UTC ]
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Described by Ian McEwan as ‘a treasure of English contemporary writing’, the Yorkshire-born novelist’s career spanned 50 yearsJane Gardam, author of books for adults and children including Old Filth and The Hollow Land, has died at the age of 96, her publisher has confirmed.The Yorkshire-born... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-04-29 15:55:53 UTC ]
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We’ve got the latest round-up of collection news for librarians: publishing world updates, new book announcements, adaptation news, and a ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-29 10:00:00 UTC ]
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If you’ve ever opened a children’s book and thought this should be my wallpaper, know you’re in good company. Bruce Handy, the critic/journalist/humorist and multi-genre author, has been obsessed with inside covers for a while. So much so that this month, he puts on a new hat—curator. His... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-04-17 18:11:13 UTC ]
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The Georgia senator’s new children’s book series based on biblical tales kicks off this month with Leo’s Lunch Box about a generous boy whose inexhaustible lunch box recalls the miracle of loaves and fishes that fed a multitude. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Set in the recent past, Austin Kelley's debut novel centers on a magazine underling who becomes entranced with a Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-04-14 10:00:06 UTC ]
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Find Ariel Courage’s successful query to agent Samantha Shea for her debut novel Bad Nature, which includes what Shea liked in the query. The post Successful Queries: Samantha Shea and “Bad Nature,” by Ariel Courage appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-04-12 16:00:00 UTC ]
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On May 2nd, the U.S. Postal Service will unveil a new stamp to kick off Children’s Book Week. The newest honoree to be cast Forever in adhesive is Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon. The new pane will pay tribute to your favorite bedtime story via Clement Hurd’s beloved illustrations. Letter... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-04-10 16:39:17 UTC ]
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