CELEBRATIONS January 2021
Join B B Taylor as she welcomes in a new year of hope with our Celebrations page this month!
New Releases
We are thrilled to announce Sheila Averbuch has had her middle grade debut, the thriller Friend Me (Scholastic Press) published. It's the story of a 12-year old Irish transplant to the US who is badly bullied online and off; when her bully has a strange accident, she starts to worry that her new best friend - who she only knows online - might be responsible, or hiding even darker secrets. It was her sixth manuscript over 17 years, including one long break where she'd almost given up all together - aren't we so glad she changed her mind!
Lesley Jepps is travelling into 2021 with a hop as she relaunches her time travel book Umbrella in Time. The story has been revamped and relaunched with this fab cover designed by Emily Jepps. 
Rashmi Sirdeshpande is ready to start a revolution with her new book HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD, published by Puffin. Stunningly illustrated by
Annabel Tempest
, it's a book about hope and empathy, activism and teamwork. About how all the little bits of good we do can add up and create a wave of change.
K.L. Kettle is celebrating her speculative debut Young Adult thriller, tackling themes of traditional gender roles and power dynamics, The Boy I Am, published by Stripes Publishing. Jude is running out of time. Once a year, lucky young men in the House of Boys are auctioned to the female elite. But if Jude fails to be selected before he turns seventeen, a future deep underground in the mines awaits.
Amy Sparkes is sprinkling some magic on 2021 with her newest book. The House at The Edge of Magic is illustrated by Ben Mantle and published by Walker Books. Nine is an orphan pickpocket determined to escape her life in the Nest of a Thousand Treasures. When she steals a house-shaped ornament from a mysterious woman’s purse, she knocks on its tiny door and watches it grow into a huge, higgledy-piggeldy house.
Emma Perry and Sharon Davey are starting off the new year with David Ficklings' latest release I Don't Like Books. Never. Ever. The End. Once upon a time there was a little girl called Mabel. A girl who didn't like books. She used them for all sorts of things, from juggling to sledging, but she NEVER looked at the stories inside. Until the books decided they had had ENOUGH!
Rebecca Colby is starting off the new year with some exploration and fun with her newest non-fiction book The Castle The King Built published by Nosy Crow. Explore what happens inside the castle the king built with striking retro artwork from illustrator Tom Froese and a carefully researched rollicking rhyme from author Rebecca Colby.
Coming Soon
Keep tuning in here for all the upcoming news of book deals, new releases and exciting new opportunities!
Agents
Have you got a new agent? Don't be shy. Let us know so we can celebrate with you too!
Superhero picture book writer Kate Thompson is soaring as she signed with Jo Williamson of Antony Harwood Ltd after she placed her younger fiction runner up in July 2020's Slush Pile contest.
Frances Tosdevin is kicking the year off right after signing with Lucy Irvine of Peters, Fraser and Dunlop. We can’t wait to see what adventures lay ahead.
Awards
Elizabeth Wein has exciting news to share as not only was her 2020 novel The Enigma Game was nominated for the 2021 Carnegie Award but her 2019 novel White Eagles (Barrington Stoke) has been shortlisted for the 2021 Scottish Teenage Book Prize.
Have you won, or been nominated for an award? Don't be shy, we want to celebrate with you!
Good News
Claudia Myatt definitely sees adventure on the horizon after been selected as artist in residence by Friends of Scott Polar Research Institute for 2021 and will be off to Antarctica later in the year with lots of sketchbooks. We can't wait to see the results!
Will Hamilton-Davies is so excited that since The Shrew with the Flu illustrated by Jennifer Davison was published, just a couple of months ago it has already had endorsements by the likes of David Litchfield, The Mammal Society, Conservationist Tolmeia Gregory, and even a Dragon from Dragons' Den.
Emma Finlayson-Palmer is starting the year off loudly, stealing the show as she won Act 1 of the #WriteCBC 5-Act Festive Story in December, with her illustration of 'The Voice Thief'. As a prize she has selected a place on the Writing and Illustrating Children's Book Course with Curtis Brown which is run by the fabulous Sarah McIntyre, and David O'Connell, starting in February.
Have you got good news? No matter how big our small let us share your joy!
Share your good news with us and brighten our day!
*All images courtesy of authors mentioned above.
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Have you got good news to share? New book? New agent? Award nominee or winner? Are you a new member? Say hi and let us know. Why not send an email over with your good news at celebrations@britishscbwi.org, a picture and any links so we can celebrate too :)
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