I am over the moon that Nina Pottell, Books Editor at Prima magazine, has chosen 59 Minutes as one of her 2025 picks.
She says, “This sounds like it’s going to be an exceptional read!”
I’m in lovely (and hallowed) company, with Beth O’Leary (Swept Away is one of the best proofs I read this year), Emma Donoghue, Rachel Joyce and Mike Gayle.
I’m so glad I can finally talk about this. And I will be talking a lot more about it in the run up to 2025’s UK and US publications…
Orion acquires rights Holly Seddon’s ‘heart-wrenching’ thriller
Orion Fiction has acquired the rights to Holly Seddon’s new “heart-wreching” thriller 59 Minutes. UK & Commonwealth (excluding Canada) rights were acquired from Sophie Lambert at C&W.
Emily Bestler acquired US rights in a two-book pre-empt, for Emily Bestler Books.
59 Minutes follows the journey of three women trying to make it home to and protect their families, after everyone receives a message that missiles are set to destroy England in 59 minutes time.
The publisher has described the novel as “thoroughly gripping and gut-wrenching”.
My next novel, The Short Straw, will be published in hardback, ebook and audio in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand on 14th September 2023.
Leaving isn’t safe… But staying would be deadly.
‘An addictive read. . . Patricia Highsmith meets Shirley Jackson’ – GILLIAN MCALLISTER
‘The Short Straw practically pulses with foreboding and menace. Get ready to stay up all night! Fans of Shirley Jackson and Ruth Ware will love this. No one writes of family dynamics quite like Holly Seddon.’ – JACK JORDAN
Three sisters find themselves lost in a storm at night, and seek safety at Moirthwaite Manor, where their mother once worked. They are shocked to find the isolated mansion that loomed so large through their troubled childhoods has long been abandoned. Drawing straws to decide who should get help, one sister heads back into the darkness. With the siblings separated, the deadly secrets hidden in the house finally make themselves known and we learn the unspeakable secret that binds the family together.
You can pre-order it now from a range of retailers and receive it on the day of publication!
Get a signed edition from Goldsboro Books
Order from an independent book shop via Bookshop.org
Orion has acquired two mysteries by Holly Seddon with the first, Shelter, to publish as a lead title in summer 2023.
Editor Sam Eades acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Sophie Lambert at C&W.
Shelter tells the story of three sisters with “an unspeakable family secret” who find themselves in an isolated mansion, and has been hailed by Eades as “masterful”.
My fifth book, The Woman on the Bridge, is now available to pre-order in ebook and paperback.
How far would you go to save a perfect stranger?
Maggie is trapped. Dumped on her wedding day, rejected by her family and hounded by a man determined to make her suffer.
Charlotte is desperate. Double-crossed by her only friend and facing total ruin, she will go to any lengths to save what matters.
Two women, one night. A decision that will change everything.
The bookshops opened just in time for the release of The Hit List in paperback! It’s here, with a cover full of lovely quotes!
Available from WHSmiths, Amazon, Waterstones online, loads of independent bookstores and Bookshop.org.
Oh my god it’s finally here! The book I started writing in May 2018, which was called One Dark Turn, then Marianne, then After Dark, then The Wanted and now finally – and hands down best of all – THE HIT LIST.
It’s released today in ebook and audiobook, with a paperback edition coming out in April next year. Please consider downloading it and sharing a review wherever you buy it – reviews do make a really big difference to us authors and help other readers know about books they might enjoy.
Thank you for all your patience(!) and ongoing support!
I’ve been sitting on my hands and trying to keep this secret ever since I found out… My fourth book, THE HIT LIST, will be published in ebook on 28 August, 2020 and followed in paperback on 15 April 2021.
It’s available to pre-order now and you can add it as ‘Want to Read’ on Goodreads too.
‘A compelling and original story with clever and unexpected twists to the very end.’ Rachel Abbott
I’m a sucker for a podcast, and not just my own. My podcast habit started, as I think it did for many, with the first series of Serial. Serial offered the kind of compelling water cooler moments that used to happen with linear once-a-week TV. Writing my own crime drama podcast is very much on my to-do list when I finish my latest book but in the meantime, here are a selection of the podcasts I’ve enjoyed the most recently.
The Teacher’s Pet
I’ve only just started this and I’m utterly hooked.
In 1982, devoted mother Lyn Dawson went missing. Her husband, high school sweetheart and former sports star Chris, claims she joined a cult. Just a few days later, Chris – a P.E. teacher – moved his teenaged babysitter (and pupil) into the house. Two separate coroners have ruled the Lyn was killed by Chris and yet no one has been arrested for her murder. This is a terribly sad and incredibly compelling story expertly woven by seasoned journalist Hedley Thomas.
The Honest Authors (Gillian McAllister on the left, me on the right)
There are dozens of book podcasts out there – but those aimed at aspiring authors are less common, and almost entirely skewed towards the self-publishing market. One notable exception is the Honest Authors podcast, created last year by authors Holly Seddon (Try Not To Breathe, Don’t Close Your Eyes, Love Will Tear Us Apart) and Gillian McAllister (Everything But The Truth, Anything You Do Say, No Further Questions). Aiming to highlight everything you’ve ever wanted to know about being a author but were too afraid to ask, Honest Authors claims to be “the only podcast recorded by bestselling, traditionally-published commercial authors being transparent about this brilliant, terrifying life.”
A year and a half in, with 26 episodes under their belt, we asked the pair about fighting for attention, finding your niche and keeping your audio content fresh.
