More excellent news from a TLC writer, this time from Stephanie Bretherton who is currently crowd-funding for her book Dear Mr Darwin on Unbound, the publishers of the runaway bestseller The Good Immigrant and Man Booker longlisted The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth (which went on to win the Gordon Burn Prize 2014). We’re delighted for Stephanie and can’t wait to see this excellent book in print in the near future.
About the book
A young woman walks alone through a barren landscape in a time before history, a time of cataclysmic natural change. She is cold, hungry and with child, but not without hope or resources. A skilful hunter, she draws on her intuitive understanding of how to stay alive… and knows that she must survive.
In the present day, geneticist Dr Eloise Kluft wrestles with an ancient conundrum as she unravels the secrets of an important archaeological find. She is working at the cutting edge of contemporary science, but is caught in the lonely time-lock of her own emotional past.
Dear Mr. Darwin is the story of two women separated by millennia but bound by the web of life. A timeless tale of the search for love and knowledge, it is a voyage through science and spirituality, nature and nurture, curiosity and courage.
Stephanie and TLC
“Writing can be very lonely, no matter how inspired and passionate you are, and as you progress it gets harder to be objective. Friends and family can be very supportive, but there’s nothing like the opinions, advice and guidance of a professional editor. I had finished a second draft on my own and I knew that I had something, but also knew I wasn’t ‘there’ yet and was feeling quite stuck. I didn’t want to waste all the love, sweat and tears I had put in so far, so I looked for freelance editors. A publisher’s account on twitter kindly recommended The Literary Consultancy and that changed everything. They were so helpful and hooked me up with exactly the right editor, the wonderful Dr Stephen Carver. I received an amazingly in-depth report back, and yes, I had to take a deep breath when I realised that for it to be taken seriously and be good enough to submit, much more work was needed… but beyond the very realistic yet encouraging and constructive opinions and ideas, I also felt truly mentored, which meant everything at the time. I did another rewrite, had an even more encouraging response back, although with further ideas on how to make it even better, I took those ideas, ran with them, and when I felt ready, submitted. The first publisher, Unbound, said yes, and I am now in the process of crowdfunding the production costs. I really can’t thank recommend the TLC (which is just what you get!) enough. Worth every penny –and extra hour of work!”
Pledge now
Dear Mr Darwin crowd-funding page
