FICTION CATALOGUE JANUARY - JUNE 2021 1 The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman Julietta Henderson A TRANSWORLD LEAD DEBUT FOR 2021: An uplifting, heart -warming and hopeful novel about a boy with a grief he's too young to understand and a mother who will do anything to see him smile again. What do you get when you cross a painfully awkward son, lofty comedic ambition and a dead best friend? Norman. Norman and Jax are a legendary comedic duo in waiting, with a five-year plan to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe by the time they're fifteen. But when Jax dies before they turn twelve, Norman decides paying tribute to his best friend just can’t wait… so he rewrites their plan: 1. Look after mum 2. Find Dad 3. Get to the Edinburgh Fringe Sadie knows she's never going to win Mother of the Year, and not knowing exactly who her son’s father is doesn't help. But when she finds Norman's new plan, all she wants is to see her son smile again... So they set off on a pilgrimage to Edinburgh, making a few stops to find Norman's dad along the way. Julietta Henderson grew up in the rainforests of North January 2021 Queensland, Australia, and developed her passion for the 9781787633506 written word producing ‘magazines’ for school friends and £12.99 : Hardback neighbours with her sister. She has worked her way through 400 pages jobs as diverse as bicycle tour guide in Tuscany, nanny in the Italian Alps and breakfast waitress in the wilds of Scotland. Like many Australians, her love affair with Europe began when she came to London on a working holiday and stayed for more than a decade. Now a full-time writer, Julietta divides her life between Melbourne, the UK and wherever she can find winter. 2 The Hungry Road The heartbreaking new bestseller from the author of Under the Hawthorn Tree Marita Conlon-McKenna A story of courage, hardship and survival against the odds - this is the definitive account of the Great Irish Famine. In its brilliant recreation of the Great Irish Famine, the children's historical novel Under the Hawthorn Tree is beloved by millions and is considered a classic. Now, the Number One Irish bestseller and award-winning author is turning her hand to the definitive adult novel of those hard times, with The Hungry Road. ****** Ireland’s hopes for freedom are dashed with the arrival of a deadly potato blight that strikes terror in the heart of its people. 1845. Seamstress Mary Sullivan's dreams of a better future are shattered as she looks out over their ruined crop. Refusing to give in to despair, she must use every ounce of courage and strength to protect her family as they fight to survive. Dr Dan Donovan is Medical Officer to the Skibbereen Union. The arrival of 'The Hunger' soon brings starving men, women and children crowding into the town and the workhouse, desperate for assistance. Fr John Fitzpatrick's faith is tested by the suffering that surrounds him as his pleas for help fall on deaf ears. Inspired by true Irish heroes, The Hungry Road is the heartbreaking January 2020 story of the Great Irish Famine told by one of Ireland’s best loved 9781848271975 writers. £12.99 : Trade Paperback 352 pages 'I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I raced through it ... It’s a must-add to your collection' Ryan Tubridy, RTÉ Radio 1 'Powerful ... Conlon-McKenna has assembled an excellent cast of characters ... Myriad small, moving details help to illustrate the enormity of the tragedy' Irish Independent 'It’s a great read - it has the feeling of an epic film' Mairead Ronan, Today FM Marita Conlon-McKenna is one of Ireland's favourite authors. Her books include the award-winning Under the Hawthorn Tree which is set during Ireland’s great famine. Widely translated and published, it is now considered an Irish classic. Her other books include bestsellers The Magdalen and Rebel Sisters. She is a winner of the International Reading Association Award, USA and a former chairperson of Irish PEN. Marita lives in Dublin with her husband and family. 3 The Stranger Times C. K. McDonnell Whether you're an 'American Gods' binge-watcher, addicted to Ben Aaronovitch or devoted to Discworld and Terry Pratchett, this smart, knowing, outrageously fun (and occasionally rather rude) supernatural romp by an award- winning stand-up comic is a must-read . There are Dark Forces at work in our world (and in Manchester in particular) and so thank God The Stranger Times is on hand to report them. A weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but more often the weird) of modern life, it is the go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable . At least that’s their pitch. The reality is rather less auspicious. Their editor is a drunken, foul-tempered and -mouthed husk of a man who thinks little (and believes less) of the publication he edits, while his staff are a ragtag group of wastrels and misfits, each with their own secrets to hide and axes to grind. And as for the assistant editor . well, that job is a revolving door – and it has just revolved to reveal Hannah Willis, who's got her own set of problems. It’s when tragedy strikes in Hannah’s first week on the job that The Stranger Times is forced to do some serious, proper, actual investigative journalism. What they discover leads them to a shocking realisation: that some of the stories they’d previously dismissed as nonsense are in fact terrifyingly, gruesomely real. Soon they come face-to-face with darker foes than they could ever have imagined. It’s one thing reporting on January 2021 the unexplained and paranormal but it’s quite another being 9781787633353 dragged into the battle between the forces of Good and Evil . £14.99 : Hardback . 432 pages Born in Limerick and raised in Dublin, C K (Caimh) McDonnell is a former stand-up comedian and TV writer. He performed all around the world, had several well-received Edinburgh shows and supported acts such as Sarah Millican on tour before hanging up his clowning shoes to concentrate on writing. He has also written for numerous TV shows and been nominated for a Kid’s TV BAFTA. His debut novel, A Man With One of Those Faces – a comic crime novel – was published in 2016 and spawned The Dublin Trilogy books and the spin-off McGarry Stateside series. They have been Amazon bestsellers on both sides of the Atlantic. 4 House with No Doors Jeff Noon At first glance, Leonard Graves’ death was unremarkable. Sleeping pills, a bottle of vodka, a note saying goodbye. But when Detective Henry Hobbes discovers a grave in the basement, he realizes there is something far more sinister at work... At first glance, Leonard Graves’ death was unremarkable. Sleeping pills, a bottle of vodka, a note saying goodbye. But when Detective Henry Hobbes discovers a grave in the basement, he realizes there is something far more sinister at work. Further investigation unearths more disturbing evidence. Scattered around the old house are women’s dresses. All made of the same material. All made in the same colours. And all featuring a rip across the stomach, smeared in blood. As the investigation continues and the body count rises, Hobbes must also deal with the disappearance of his son, the break-up of his family and a growing sense that something horrific happened in the Graves’ household. And he’s running out of time to find out what. Jeff Noon trained in the visual arts and drama and was active on the post-punk music scene before becoming a playwright, and then a novelist. Most recently publishing a crime novel, Slow Motion Ghosts, his other novels include Vurt, Pollen, Automated Alice, Nymphomation, Needle in the Groove, Falling Out of Cars, Channel SK1N, Mappalujo (with Steve Beard), A January 2021 Man of Shadows, and the The Body Library. He has also 9780857525635 published two collections of short fiction, Pixel Juice and Royal Octavo Cobralingus. He lives in Brighton. £18.99 : Hardback 384 pages 5 Exit Belinda Bauer IT WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE MURDER . Pensioner Felix Pink is about to find out that it’s never too late for life to go horribly wrong. The sensational new crime novel from the bestselling author of SNAP ‘Fresh, funny, flawless. The best crime novel you'll read this year.’ Clare Mackintosh IT WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE MURDER . Pensioner Felix Pink is about to find out that it’s never too late . for life to go horribly wrong. When Felix lets himself in to Number 3 Black Lane, he’s there to perform an act of charity: to keep a dying man company as he takes his final breath . But just fifteen minutes later Felix is on the run from the police – after making the biggest mistake of his life. Now his world is turned upside down as he must find out if he's really to blame, or if something much more sinister is at play. All while staying one shaky step ahead of the law. __________ 'Quirky, charming, intensely human, important . and very suspenseful. I loved it.' Lee Child January 2021 'Belinda Bauer's fiction teems with life.' 9781787630956 £14.99 : Hardback Daily Telegraph 336 pages Belinda Bauer grew up in England and South Africa and now lives in Wales. She worked as a journalist and a screenwriter before finally writing a book to appease her nagging mother.