We’re delighted to share news of another TLC client success, from writer Paul A. Mendelson whose novel In the Matter of Isabel is being published by The Book Guild.
Here’s the blurb:
Rick, a wannabe corporate whiz-kid from Hackney, is transfixed when the exotic Isabel Velazco walks into his Edgware Road law office. She desperately needs his help to get her son Sebastian back. Three years ago, following a divorce from Sebastian’s father, Isabel took her son back to Argentina with his dad’s consent. But when Sebastian visited his dad for Christmas, he never returned. Now, five long months later, she has raised the money to try and get him back. Cocky Rick believes he holds all the cards as he takes on Isabel s case. But who exactly is playing whom? Is the helpless Isabel all that she seems?
And a word from Paul:
“In the Matter of Isabel is my first novel, inspired by a case I handled as a young and green lawyer and is most probably the reason I’m not an old and grey one now. I owe a huge debt to TLC for matching me up with my wonderful editor Alan Mahar, without whose firm but never less than encouraging hand I most certainly wouldn’t be at this point today. He had that wonderful ability to tell me where I had gone completely off the rails whilst praising me for where I hadn’t. I know from decades of working on TV scripts that the ‘praise sandwich’ is an essential part of getting the best work out of people but sadly is often overlooked. I cannot thank Alan nor TLC enough.”
Advance praise:
‘Paul A. Mendelson manages to write a comic novel that effortlessly mixes broad farce and beautifully drawn cameos with twists, tension and a touching love story. A wonderfully funny debut novel from an accomplished TV scriptwriter.’
David Lister. The Independent
‘Paul A. Mendelson’s highly enjoyable tale fizzes with a series of surprises that beautifully capture the bewilderment of being young and out of your depth.’
Andy Hamilton
‘In the Matter of Isabel has it all – humor, romance, and a compelling narrative. Paul A. Mendelson’s experience as a young Cambridge-educated lawyer and his decades as a successful TV comedy writer have enabled him to write a splendid novel. In the Matter of Isabel has the page-turning drama of a John Grisham legal thriller and the comedy chops of a Woody Allen script. Mendelson is a terrific writer.’
Miles Corwin, bestselling author of And Still We Rise, a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year.
Our congratulations to Paul. You can pre-order the novel here
