Dear Scribblers,
Author John Ironmonger has very kindly subsided tickets for his Linghams Booksellers, Wirral launch (9th September, 7PM) for the playful and life-affirming novel that is ‘The Angel of St Piran’! We hope to see you there to find out how a Cornish gymnast ends up protecting a group of wild chimpanzees from trophy hunters… Tickets are now free when you preorder the book or a ticket without the book gives you £5 off a purchase on the evening :)
It was an amazing week for us - our second time ever on Radio 4!
Our first time was for ‘The Process of Poetry’ in December 2022 - and this detailed craft book edited by Rosanna McGlone went straight to Amazon number 2 over Christmas - an amazing result for the power of radio.
Our second time is of course for the fabulous historical romance/literary fiction novel ‘The Others’ by Sheena Kalayil, with the Women’s Prize 2026 judge Cariad Lloyd still flying the flag for this messy love story against the backdrop of the Berlin Wall’s fall. A bit of a debate goes on! Listen here or if you’d rather have a warm podcast discussion, I’d say the Weirdos Book Club discussion of The Others is a lot more detailed and fun HERE.
And we have our performer line up for the Anthony Burgess Centre Manchester launch next Friday (6.30pm onwards) for anthology ‘Woman, Mapped’!
Join us and celebrate women's creativity
And it won’t be long until the audio editions of Donna Moore’s historical crime series are released with Penguin Random House next month! A great time to get hooked on book one (The Unpicking) and devour book 2 (‘The Devil’s Draper’ set in 1920s Glasgow) before policewoman Mabel Adair returns in ‘Murder, Classified’ next May…
FLY ON THE WALL PRESS ACQUIRES SHABNAM GREWAL’S CRIME DEBUT ‘THE KILLING OF UNCLE RAJ’
Fly on the Wall Press has acquired worldwide rights to ‘The Killing of Uncle Raj’, a powerful debut cosy crime set in Southall, West London, by award-winning TV and Radio producer Shabnam Grewal.
Nearly forty years ago, Sameena Kaur’s uncle was murdered in a racist attack on the streets of Southall. The case went cold, and the family stopped talking about it.
Now a jaded radio reporter, Sameena can’t leave it alone. Digging into the case pulls her back into the heady, dangerous world of late-1980s West London, a community under siege, fighting for its own safety. But as she edges closer to the truth about who killed her uncle, she realises the past isn’t finished with her family. And neither is the killer.
Sharp, atmospheric and darkly witty, The Killing of Uncle Raj is a gripping crime thriller about buried grief, community, and the fault lines of race, then and now.
Shabnam Grewal said: ‘I am beyond delighted that Fly on the Wall Press are publishing my novel, ‘The Killing of Uncle Raj,’ which is set in Southall, in West London, an area and community I know well. It’s been a real labour of love writing this crime novel and I hope I have done it justice.’
Isabelle Kenyon, Managing Director of Fly on the Wall Press, said: ‘ “The Killing of Uncle Raj” is exactly the kind of novel we’re proud to publish: a gripping, page-turning mystery with a sympathetic central character, wrapped around a piece of vital social history. Shabnam Grewal unwinds this mystery with real skill, layering in clues and evidence that keep readers hooked from start to finish. But what elevates this book is its unflinching, authentic portrayal of the racism of the 1980s, the rise of the National Front, and the complex fault lines between different communities of colour navigating that hostility. It’s a story that feels urgently timely, given the resurgence we’re seeing today. This is commercial fiction with depth, and we can’t wait for readers to discover it.’
‘The Killing of Uncle Raj’ will be released on the 16th of September 2027
Shabnam Grewal is a British Asian woman from West London. She grew up in an era of Skinheads on the streets, riots and anti-racist activism. She was an early member of Southall Black Sisters, a feminist group which grew out of the struggles of Black and Asian women against both white racists and men from their own community. She went to work in Feminist publishing – Blackwoman Talk and Sheba Feminist Publishers, as well as being involved in lots of Radical Arts and activism. Shabnam then joined the BBC as a local radio producer and went on to become a network Radio and TV Producer, making current affairs films and radio documentaries for over 25 years. She has won many awards, and she also went undercover to investigate the care of elderly people in hospital, for a Bafta nominated Panorama. She is currently working as a podcast producer, is a Trustee for an incredible charity which empowers young people to make films and music videos on issues of importance to them (https://www.youtube.com/user/integratebristol) and is working on her second novel, which also features Sameena Kaur.
Our 2027 list is shaping up nicely!
We will have one more signing announcement for you - and a curated craft anthology announcement coming up too - to complete our eight books ahead…
Until next Friday,
Isabelle x
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