Mary Costello
Academy Street, the debut novel of Irish writer Mary Costello [below] will be published in a three book UK deal with Canongate. Also part of the deal is a second novel and her debut short story collection, The China Factory. The latter was originally published by Stinging Fly Press and was nominated for the Guardian First Book Award, and shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards. Academy Street, the story of one woman’s life set in the context of American history over 40 years, will be published in hardback in November 2014.

Francis Bickmore, Publishing Director at Canongate, said: “Costello’s writing cuts straight to the heart. I challenge anyone to read Academy Street without shedding a tear. People will love Mary’s voice but also the novel’s sweep. This is a story of one woman’s search for belonging played out against a backdrop of twentieth century events. Academy Street marks the arrival of a major league writer.”

Ella Harper
Two novels by Sasha Wagstaff, writing as Ella Harper, are to be published by Avon. The first, Pieces of You, examines the nature of perfection in the context of relationships and will be published in September 2014.
Click here to visit her website.

Abbie Rushton
Unspeakable, the YA debut from author Abbie Rushton, will be published by Little, Brown’s Atom imprint in March 2015. Atom, which is committed to publish YA novels which address a range of contemporary issues, selected Unspeakable because of its themes of selective mutism and sex-teen relationships. It tells the story of Megan, who hasn’t spoken for a year, and Jasmine, a new girl at Megan’s school.

Atom said it is committed to publishing important YA novels that deal with a range of contemporary and challenging issues, and Unspeakable tackles the themes of selective mutism and same-sex teen relationships. Kate Agar, Atom’s commissioning editor, said: “Unspeakable is a thriller, certainly, but it’s the assured handling of first love and complicated friendships in this debut that will stay with readers long after they’ve turned the last page.”

Paulo Coelho
Adultery, the new novel from Paulo Coelho [below], will be published in August 2014 by Cornerstone after the author moved from HarperCollins UK.

Adultery follows the life of Linda, a married journalist and mother, whose life is changed when she meets an ex-boyfriend.

Click here to visit Paulo Coelho’s website or here for his blog

Tracy Bloom
Cornerstone imprint Arrow is publishing two books by Tracy Bloom this year. No-one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday is out now as paperback and e-book with a new Christmas-themed novel to follow in October 2014. Next year there will be a new sequel to No-one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday, plus another novel titled Single Woman Seeks Revenge.

To visit Tracy Bloom’s website, click here.

David Whitehouse
Mobile Library, the second novel by Betty Trask Prize winner David Whitehouse is to be published by Picador. The book is the tragi-comic story of 12-year-old Bobby Nusku who escapes his small town in a stolen library on wheels along with a lonely single mother, her young daughter and a dog named Bert. As they travel across the country, they are united by their adventures and by the books inside the mobile library.

Whitehouse [above] is a novelist, journalist and screenwriter. His first novel, Bed, won the 2012 Betty Trask Prize and has been published in 18 countries. Mobile Library will be published in hardback on January 8, 2015.