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Archives for April 2016

Our new publishing imprint Nightingale Editions and a visit from JK Rowling

April 21, 2016 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Authors, Books, Inspiration, Networking, Publishing, The writing life, Writers Leave a Comment

I am delighted to announce the launch of my new publishing imprint, Nightingale Editions, an imprint of Blackbird Digital Books. The imprint has been founded by me Jacqui Lofthouse together with Stephanie Zia of Blackbird Digital Books.

Nightingale-silhouette-logo-stacked-OL

For some time, I’d considered the idea of publishing the work of others, but when I read Sara Bailey’s haunting and lyrical novel Dark Water I felt a strong sense of connection with the book and realised that the time was right. I am lucky enough to know Stephanie Zia who has the technical know-how and together we decided that a new imprint of Blackbird was the best way forwards. We knew that the name Nightingale was right when we both thought of it independently! It was important to me that the imprint should have a visual link with The Writing Coach, so I worked with my husband artist David Lewis and Hayley Thomas of Goburo to create the lovely bird logo and lettering that you see here.

I am so looking forward to publishing Dark Water. It is an incredibly atmospheric coming of age novel, a psychologically intense portrait of adolescent yearning and obsession, set in the beautiful Orkney Islands where Sara lives. Indeed, the novel had a wonderfully auspicious start to life when Sara Bailey had an unexpected encounter with JK Rowling in the setting of Orkney Library. She writes about this encounter in full on the Nightingale blog here.

JK Rowling Orkney

JK Rowling meets the members of Saturday Slaughters reading group. Photo by Stewart Bain.

Sara Bailey’s story

Rowling’s visit to Orkney Library has already been widely covered in the media. However, Sara Bailey’s insider story is fascinating. The visit happened on the very day that Sara had signed her contract with Nightingale Editions and ended with this treasured note in Sara’s Moleskine notebook.

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In Sara’s words, Rowling said,

“Do they know you’re a writer? You must tell them?” I hushed her and went even redder. This is Orkney, we don’t shout out things like that in public. She signed the notebook and wished me lots of luck.

I am so delighted that Sara’s book Dark Water has had such a special start in life. I am certainly looking forward to publishing the novel. I am also very excited about Nightingale and all that it stands for. The Nightingale, of course, is a bird which sings in the darkness, and is considered symbolic of beauty and immortality. At Nightingale Editions, I aim to publish unique, original voices, voices which will endure. I can’t wait to begin this journey with Sara and Stephanie. It’s time for the Nightingale to sing…

If you are interested in writing about Nightingale or Dark Water, the press release is here.

Nan Bovington longlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize

April 20, 2016 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Authors, Competitions, Markets for your work, Publishing, The writing life, Writers Leave a Comment

Photo on 11-04-2016 at 14.36It is always such a thrill when clients of The Writing Coach have success in their writing lives, so it is with great pleasure that I announce Nan Bovington‘s achievement. She has recently been longlisted for the prestigious Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize. This is the first time that a longlist has been announced for the prize. This year there were 484 entries to the prize, and the shortlist will be announced tomorrow (21st April).

Nan’s novel is entitled ‘Last Best West’. Set in Canada in 1906, it is the story of a highly educated young woman who goes to the far North to become a gold prospector. I am at present re-reading the manuscript and I am hugely impressed at Nan’s storytelling and poetic prose.

Founded in 2010, by Professor Janet Todd OBE (who coincidentally taught me eighteenth century literature at UEA), the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize has gone from strength to strength with many shortlisted and winning authors securing publishing deals and furthering their writing. Last year’s winner was Emily Midorikawa who runs SomethingRhymed.com with Emma Claire Sweeney. Their website profiles the literary friendships of  female authors. (You can find their post about Louise Doughty and I here). Emily and Emma Claire’s book A Secret Sisterhood will be published by Aurum Press in the UK and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in the USA, both in late 2017.

The annual Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize provides a unique opportunity for unpublished female authors, aged 21 and over, to launch their literary careers. Judges are seeking writers who combine literary merit with ‘unputdownability’ and the Prize has developed a formidable reputation for attracting first-class writing talent.

I am sure that you will join me in wishing Nan huge luck tomorrow. I am certain that she deserves success with this unique and lyrical work.

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About The Writing Coach

Jacqui Lofthouse

The Writing Coach was founded in 2005 by the novelist Jacqui Lofthouse. An international mentoring and development organisation for writers, it is also an online home for writers, somewhere you can find advice, information, motivation and most of all encouragement for your writing work ... read more

The Modigliani Girl

Anna Bright never wanted to write a novel. At least, that’s what she tells herself. But a chance encounter with a famous novelist and a surprise gift of an art book cut a chink in Anna’s resolve. The short, tragic life of Modigliani’s mistress, Jeanne Hébuterne, becomes an obsession and before she knows it, she has enrolled on a creative writing course, is writing about a fictional Jeanne and mixing with the literati.

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