Simon & Schuster UK Ltd has snapped up UK & Commonwealth rights to The House Beneath the Cliffs by Sharon Gosling at auction in a deal brokered by Ella Kahn of Diamond Kahn and Woods. Clare Hey, Publishing Director at Simon & Schuster UK, bought two books by Gosling, who has previously written YA and middle-grade fiction and has now turned her hand to fiction for adults. Kahn is receiving strong interest internationally, with rights already sold in Russia (to Sindbad, via the Elizabeth Van Lear Agency) and Sweden (to Modernista, via Marotte & Compagnie).
The House Beneath the Cliffs is set in the tiny village of Crovie, which nestles beneath the cliffs on the coast of Aberdeenshire. A remote and wild place, it is inaccessible except by boat or on foot, and is home to just a few permanent residents. Gosling’s novel tells the story of Anna, a talented chef who moves to Crovie, hoping to escape her past. There she discovers a community nestled on a ledge by the sea, and sets up a small lunch club from her tiny cottage. Partially inspired by real events, it is a story of community, friendship and food set in a very special place.
Sharon Gosling is the author of multiple children’s books. She started her career as an entertainment journalist, and still also writes non-fiction books about film and television. Sharon and her husband live in a remote village in northern Cumbria, where they moved to run a second-hand bookshop, Withnail Books in Penrith.
Clare Hey says, ‘Once we are all released from lockdown, I suspect people will want to seize the day and make the move they have always meant to – and this novel taps beautifully into that escapist sentiment. The House Beneath the Cliffs was the perfect antidote to my lockdown reading slump – engaging and compelling storytelling set in a place I am longing to visit.’
Ella Kahn says, ‘I adore this book – it’s a story to sink into and savour, that will leave you with a particular kind of hopeful yearning, which is something we all need right now! I’m so thrilled that Clare and the Simon & Schuster team will be publishing The House Beneath the Cliffs with such passion and I’m sure it will capture the hearts of readers throughout the world.’
Sharon Gosling says, ‘The villages of Crovie, Gardenstown and Pennan captured my imagination – and my heart – immediately from the very first time we visited Aberdeenshire. It’s a spectacular, wild coast that can be as difficult to live on and is as full of stories as it is beautiful. I love it, and I think readers will too.’
The House Beneath the Cliffs will be published by Simon & Schuster UK as a paperback original in spring 2021.
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