Publishing Deal: Sarah Ward

I'm very pleased to repeat the news that Sarah Ward has a publishing deal with Faber. Sarah is a friend of mine and many crime fiction fans, a Petrona Award judge and owner of the blog Crimepieces. She revealed the news of her publishing deal at CrimeFest and the the official news is now out.

I'm so looking forward to reading In Bitter Chill:

Faber and Faber have acquired two novels from debut UK author Sarah Ward.

Crime Editor Katherine Armstrong bought World rights from Kirsty McLachlan at David Godwin Associates for IN BITTER CHILL and an as yet unnamed second book.

Armstrong said: ‘I am thrilled to be publishing Sarah Ward’s IN BITTER CHILL. This is a compelling debut from a new and exciting voice and it struck a chord with me from the moment I started reading. Two girls are abducted in Derbyshire in the late 1970s and only one returns home. Cut to the present day and the mother of the still missing girl commits suicide, re-opening old wounds for the girl who came back. This is a story that gets to the heart of a community and the legacy of a tragedy like this. It’s a story about loss and secrets – those we tell ourselves and those we tell each other.’

Ward, a well-known online book reviewer and blogger on Crimepieces, said: ‘I’m delighted that Faber will be publishing my debut novel. I’m impressed by their commitment to producing quality fiction and am a huge admirer of Faber’s existing crime authors. I’m looking forward to working with all the team.’

Faber will publish IN BITTER CHILL into trade paperback and eBook formats in summer 2015.