New season, new book
It's March, it's World Book Day - and Secrets on the Shore is out in the world!
Hello friends,
If you’re thinking ‘hang on, I only just received a newsletter from you’ then you’d be right! I don’t normally send an extra edition in February but I did this year, just because I felt like it. Today, I’m back for your regularly scheduled Spring/World Book Day edition.
March is here, the daffodils and crocuses are blooming - and I’m celebrating the publication of Secrets on the Shore, which hit bookshop shelves last week! I even took it along on a little half-term trip with friends to the suitably wild and windswept Norfolk coast, where it had a photoshoot on the beach.
In case you’ve missed it along the way, here’s a bit more about the book:
Sophie and Lil are on their very first case for the Secret Service Bureau in this thrilling adventure, set between the end of the Sinclair's Mysteries and the beginning of Taylor & Rose Secret Agents. Together they must travel to the seaside town of Rye where – despite its sleepy appearance – they have evidence that a band of German spies are up to no good.
Disguised as birdwatchers, our two brave detectives navigate smugglers’ tunnels, come up against mysterious sea mists and decode a secret message to get to the bottom of what’s going on…
Plus bonus detective delights, including author notes, a special short story, and case files from the archives of Taylor & Rose. Discover how Sophie and Lil became secret agents!
This story feels like a special one for me - it’s the adventure that bridges the gap between the original Sinclair’s Mysteries and the later Taylor & Rose books. It follows Sophie and Lil on their first ever case for the Secret Service Bureau, and we see them growing up a little, as they move from being detectives to being secret agents. It’s also set in a place I love - the town of Rye in East Sussex, which I first encountered myself in the pages of a book, specifically Malcolm Saville’s Lone Pine series. This series had a huge impact on the Sinclair’s Mysteries, so it seemed only right that Sophie and Lil should have an adventure in Rye themselves.
I didn’t actually visit Rye myself until I was an adult, but since then I’ve been quite a few times — this story is particularly inspired by one winter visit, when I stayed in a supposedly haunted room in the town’s famous Mermaid Inn. It was written very shortly before my daughter was born, so for all sorts of reasons it feels quite special. I’m so happy to see it in print at last, after so many readers have asked for it over the years!
Whether you’re an old friend of Sophie and Lil, or completely new to the series, if you read it, I very much hope you will enjoy it. There are boats, birds, disguises, danger, smugglers, spies, secret passages… and of course, plenty of adventure and mystery.
If you’d like a copy, you can get one now from Waterstones, Bookshop.org.uk and Amazon.
Depending on when you read this, it’s also not too late to preorder a signed and dedicated copy from lovely indie ebb&flo books - I’ll be popping in on the afternoon of Monday 3rd March, so you may just have time to place your order, and I’ll be able to include it in the batch.
The publication of Secrets on the Shore of course also forms of the 10th anniversary celebrations for The Clockwork Sparrow. Expect much more about that in my next newsletter. But I’ve already found myself reflecting on the different ways I’ve celebrated the publication of this, my sixteenth book, compared to my first, almost ten years earlier. Obviously publishing a debut is a huge moment, and deserves all the celebration that you can throw at it - but it did make me grin to myself to think that a decade ago, I was celebrating book publications with big parties, dressing up, fancy lunches, afternoon teas, many cakes, and about a gallon of prosecco.
By contrast, I celebrated Secrets on the Shore with a dinner at home for which my daughter made a beautiful hand-drawn menu. Admittedly, I did have to cook the food myself, but I was treated to some experimental dance performances and magic tricks between courses! On publication day itself, I got some lovely flowers from my publisher, went for a run through the fields in the early spring sunshine listening to a great podcast, and treated myself to a massage. (And of course, I still ate cake.)
Both ways of celebrating a new book are great, and I feel very privileged to have experienced them. And although the celebrations might look different, I’m just as proud to be publishing my sixteenth book as I was to be publishing my first. Perhaps even prouder, because whilst publishing one book felt like an immense achievement, I feel incredibly lucky that I’ve been able to make writing into an actual career over the past decade. It’s especially lovely that this is a moment to celebrate Sophie and Lil and the series that kickstarted it all - and to be able to share their adventures with a whole new generation of young readers. (If you’d like to read more of me rambling on incoherently about this, you can read this interview I did with Michelle Pauli for the brilliant Books for Keeps, celebrating ten years of mystery and adventure.)
And I have plenty more opportunities to celebrate the new book in the next few weeks! Here’s a list of all my confirmed events coming up - please do come along and join me if you can:
Interviewing author Philippa Gregory about her book Normal Women, for a Waterstones virtual schools event aimed at Years 7-9. This takes place at 10.30am on World Book Day, Thursday 6th March. It’s free for schools to sign up.
Lancaster Litfest, Reader in Residence at Lancaster Library, from 10.30am on Saturday 8th March. All welcome - this is a fun, free, drop-in event for kids, families and anyone interested to chat with me about books, reading and writing.
Lancaster Litfest, Secrets on the Shore at The Dukes, 11.00am on Sunday 9th March. I’ll be talking to brilliant librarian Jen Horan about the new book, spies, detectives and much more. Tickets are free and you can also stream the event live if you can’t come along in person.
Oxford Literature Festival, The Joy of Mystery, 4pm on Saturday 5th April. I’ll be joining a panel of authors including Sufiya Ahmed and Patrice Lawrence for this fun event exploring all things mystery, chaired by Rachel Chivers Khoo. Tickets here.
Oxford Literature Festival, Ghosts and Ghouls, Magic and Murder, 10am on Sunday 6th April. I’m delighted to be interviewing the brilliant Frances Hardinge about her books at this event, including her latest book The Forest of a Thousand Eyes. Tickets here.
I have lots more events in the pipeline too, so stay tuned for news either here, on the events page of my website or on my instagram.
World Book Day
For those celebrating World Book Day in schools, here are some resources for KS1 and resources for KS2 and KS3. Among them you’ll find everything from lesson plans to videos to fun colouring sheets, puzzles and activities you can easily print off for a quick and easy book activity.
Of course I also have to share some tips for World Book Day costumes. If you’re dressing up this year, and are looking for a quick and easy outfit, I have some tips on dressing as Sophie, Lil or one of the other characters from the Sinclair’s Mysteries/Taylor & Rose here.
Last year, I also created a quick and simple guide for dressing up as one of the historical heroines of my Little Gems books, which might be particularly handy for anyone in need of a last-minute costume.
I always LOVE to see any World Book Day costumes based on any of my books. Please do share them with me - or feel free to tag me in any social media posts!
A few favourites
Time for a few reading recommendations! Here are some of the things I’ve been enjoying lately:
Clem Fatale Has Been Betrayed by Eve Wersocki Morris, illustrated by Honie Beam
I read this book a while ago but I’ve been waiting until now to recommend it, as it’s not actually out until April. It’s is an enormously fun middle-grade adventure — an entertaining roller-coaster ride through 1950s London in the company of Clem Fatale, the youngest crook in the city. Clem is the street-smart, wise-cracking, quick-thinking daughter of Jimmy Fatale, notorious jewel thief, and leader of the Spider Gang. Now Jimmy has gone missing along with London’s most valuable jewel, the ‘Fool’s Canary’. Joined by Gilbert (a very unexpected sidekick wearing pyjamas) Clem leads us on a crazy caper through the city’s underworld, from dodgy dives to glamorous nightclubs, as she attempts to find her father and foil a sinister villain. It made me grin from beginning to end: I’ve enjoyed all of Eve’s children’s books, but I think this is her best yet!
Normal Women by Philippa Gregory
I’ve been reading the young adult edition of this fascinating non-fiction book ahead of interviewing Philippa for a virtual schools event on World Book Day. Shining a spotlight on the lives of ‘normal women’ over a 900 year period, it clearly reveals how so many of women’s experiences have been left out of traditional historical accounts (which were, of course, written almost exclusively by men). It is full of fascinating and thought-provoking facts, snippets and stories - for example, did you know that women actually had equal pay with men in 1349 (though they have never had it again since)?! It’s not a book about the lives of specific extraordinary or ‘inspiring’ individuals (although it certainly includes plenty of extraordinary and inspiring stories) but takes more of a zoomed-out view, reframing how we think about women’s history. I’d definitely recommend it for any young readers interested in either history or feminism, from secondary school age and upwards. It would be great for use in classrooms as well.
The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey
I really enjoyed this charming historical fantasy, set in 19th century Singapore. Newly-arrived from Scotland, Miss Cassidy may appear to be an ordinary governess, but in fact she has unusual skills that reach far beyond tutoring children and dealing with household crises. Soon, she’s taking on tasks including ridding her employer of a bloodthirsty demon, raising a spirit from the dead, and lifting an ancient and terrible curse. This is an enormously fun read; the author is clearly having a great deal of fun enriching some of the conventions of the Victorian historical novel with a rich seam of myth, folklore and magic from Singapore (and beyond). Miss Cassidy is a thoroughly pleasing character and I’d happily read more books about her adventures.
The Book of Love by Kelly Link
There is magic of a different kind in this fascinating first novel from acclaimed short story writer Kelly Link. Honestly, this book is quite hard to describe but I think Cassandra Clare does a decent job when she characterises it as ‘a modern-day The Master and Margarita’ - that is, if it were about a group of teenagers and set in a small American town. Briefly, this is the story of Laura, Daniel and Mo, who disappeared a year ago, and are now presumed dead. But now they are unaccountably back, resurrected by their enimagatic high school music teacher, Mr Anabin. To stay in the mortal realm, they must not only solve the mystery of their own deaths, but also master their strange new magical powers — and only two of them will be allowed to remain. One reviewer described this book as having shades of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which might explain why I liked it, but actually, I think it’s much weirder. It has an uncanny dream-like feel, but blends this with a sort of down-to-earth, tongue-in-cheek quality that is extremely appealing. It’s long, and in places slightly rambling, but nonetheless compelling - if you like a quirky and unusual take on the fantasy genre, I’d certainly recommend it. (I should note that although the characters are young adults, to be clear this is definitely not a book aimed at teens, as it has a significant amount of adult content!)
Now that we’re well-established here on Substack, I thought I’d finish up this edition by recommending a few of my favourite Substacks to read. I’ve previously mentioned the brilliant Receipts from the Bookshop by my friend Katie Clapham - a delightful and funny newsletter, which always makes me smile whenever it pops into my inbox. Crib Notes by Elizabeth Morris is one of my go-to places to find consistently great book recommendations. I’ve recently been enjoying Looking at Picture Books - an informal conversation between picture book legends Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett (have you seen Jon Klassen’s forthcoming board books? This is a fascinating deep dive into both these books and the board book as a form). Picture book aficionados will also enjoy Taylor Sterling’s thoughtful Moonbow: as an American she often highlights books and creators that are less familiar to me, making for lots of interesting discoveries. I’ve been following writer and artist Austin Kleon for a long time: I like his Friday newsletter which often throws up something unexpected to read or listen to. A very different vibe, but someone else I’ve been reading for a long time (since I was a teenager!) is the journalist India Knight, whose newsletter Home I’ve recently subscribed to. I particularly like her Sunday posts, each of which is about a different painting she finds pleasing. Also on an art theme, I like Katy Hessel’s Great Women Artists newsletter: her monthly cultural picks are great for finding exhibitions I’d like to see, and often leave me pleasantly designing myself imaginary trips in which I might hop between European cities, going from one art gallery to the next…
I could recommend lots more - maybe I will in a future newsletter. In the meantime, let me know if you have a favourite Substack (perhaps you can even tell me here?)
That’s all for today, but until next time, you can find me on my website here, or on Instagram.
Happy reading!
Katherine x