The Triskele team look back at 2017 and select some of our highlights ...
Best book of the year? The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon - wonderful unique voice and clever storytelling.
Best literary discovery?
Bit late to the party but revisiting Daphne Du Maurier this year has been a real joy.
Top personal achievement?
Publishing Sacred Lake - third book in The Gold Detective series.
Catriona Troth
Best book of the year?
An almost impossible choice in a year of so many great books – from Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien to Why I Am No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo Lodge. But I am going to plump for something that won’t be on many people’s radar on this side of the Atlantic: The Break by Canadian Metis author Katherena Vermette. This is a tender exploration of the impact of sexual assault on an extended family, and of the resilience of indigenous women. The women have a strength forged by a lifetime of tough experience, and the bonds of love between them are warm and tangible. They have made their lives and homes in the city, supporting their families while their men, for the most part, have retreated to the bush. Between them, their voices draw us, not just into this one tragic event but into a family history that encapsulates the experience of Métis women. A story that will stay with you long after you have closed the final page. Best literary discovery?
2017 saw the inaugural award of the Jhalak Prize, and I was lucky enough to be able to read all the books on the shortlist before attending the prize giving in March. It introduced me to so many incredible books and authors that I probably wouldn’t have discovered otherwise, and I can’t wait to see what is on the shortlist for 2018.
Top personal achievement?
In August this year, I placed a bid in the Authors for Grenfell auction and won a workshop with the amazing Sunny Singh. Singh is a Creative Writing tutor at London Metropolitan University. A lot of the work she does with her diverse student body is to make them aware of the way they inhabit the world and to allow that to inform their character building. I came away from the workshop feeling my mind had been stretched in at least five dimensions – and I had a huge amount of work ahead of me, but that I’d been energised to tackle it.
Liza Perrat
Best book of the year?
Zoli by Colum McCann
Best literary discovery?
Psychological thrillers, eg Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant, Why Did you Lie by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, The Stranger in My Home by Adele Parks. Top personal achievement?
My top achievement would be struggling through the breast cancer treatment. And getting the idea for Book 2 in the Aussie 70s trilogy. Working title: Swimming with Seagulls.
Jane Dixon Smith
Best book of the year?
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell Best lit discovery?
Erm ... 24 Hovrs in Ancient Rome - really worth reading for anyone remotely interested in every day life of the Romans.
Top personal achievement?
Starting book 5 in the Overlord series
JJ Marsh
Best book of the year?
Best literary discovery?
Our wonderful mentee, Sophie Wellstood. Having won our Big 5 Mentorship competition, Sophie responded with intelligence and hard work to feedback from super-editor Catriona. She rewrote and improved her novel as a result. Then when she was ready, she snagged an agent in a matter of hours! We are all absolutely delighted for her.
Top personal achievement?
Getting my head around advertising and finding a huge and friendly readership in the US. So much so, I've caved to demand. Beatrice Stubbs Book Seven is on its way.
Here's to many more successes in 2018!
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