We had a successful end to 2017 with two clients signing with agents in the same week. Congratulations to Jayne Swinton and Triona Campbell, both of whom are on the road to publishing success. Sara worked with Jayne on two of her novels and it was while chatting to Rachel Mills at Furniss Lawton that she pitched Jayne’s first novel, Person’s Unknown. Rachel loved it and after reading just thirty pages she wrote to tell us.

Triona, who’s YA novel Resistance was picked up by Irish literary super agent Marianne Gunn O’Conner at exactly the same time as Sarah Manning of The Bent Agency, whom we had contacted, was forced to make a hard choice. What is heartening is that both writers were rejected several times, but the bluepencilagency policy is: “Never Give Up”! It’s just a case of finding that one person – sometimes we feel more like a dating agency!

Person’s Unknown is essentially a poignant love story spanning a lifetime where the word love is never mentioned. The two main characters are an activist and a journalist whose lives cross and re-cross over the years. Resistance, set in an unknown future where water is in short supply, is the story of a young girl sent to a school for the elite by her estranged father as punishment for exposure of a corporate misdemeanour involving contaminated water. Both novels are blessed with strong characters and a compelling storyline. Says Sara “It’s at times like this that I love my job – there is nothing more rewarding than sending one of our clients out into the big wide world of publishing and even better when it’s two!”