Charlotte Ingham on writing a slow burn romance
culturefly.co.uk – Wednesday September 10, 2025
The only thing I love more than reading a slow burn romance—one where I have to fling the book on the bed simply to scream, “Why is nobody kissing?”—is getting to write one instead. For me, the best tension comes from the almostmoments. Where the chemistry is so off-the-charts that you’re convinced something is finally, finally, about to happen, only for fate to intervene (or for the characters to be too completely, hopelessly, oblivious) and you’re left kicking your feet in simultaneous glee and frustration.
A Match Made in Hell allowed me to take this to another level, thanks to the lust trial. In order to escape Hell, Willow must complete seven tasks by resisting the seven deadly sins, but it’s particularly tricky when the person tempting her to give in to lust is the one person she’d love to give in to.
But one almost moment isn’t enough. For a slow burn to truly work, it has to be built up from lots of little almosts. As excited as I was to write that scene, I first had to lay the groundwork for that will-they-won’t-they moment, using both the earlier sin trials, along with the time they spend together in between, to allow their budding friendship to build into something more.
New Literary Agent Listing: Philippa Sitters
firstwriter.com – Wednesday September 10, 2025
Has a broad range of interests, representing novels up and down the literary-commercial scale, as well as non-fiction, from highly illustrated to serious non-fiction. Diversity within her list is an ever-present priority.
New Magazine Listing: Chainmail Poetry
firstwriter.com – Monday September 8, 2025
A global community project based on the belief that all art is in conversation. We invite you to read our latest poem, identify a resonant line, and incorporate it into a poem of your own. The written word is human connection, and we are all connected through this chain.
Spooky Middle Grade Still Sells
publishersweekly.com – Saturday September 6, 2025
Publishers and agents are seeing an increase in spooky—not scary—tales for middle grade readers.
With editors looking for shorter, more plot-driven middle grade projects these days, agents have seen an uptick in the horror genre for younger readers.
In 2023, the Bram Stoker Awards, presented annually by the Horror Writers Association, added a middle grade novel category, which Regina Brooks, president of Serendipity Literary Agency, cites as “clear recognition from the industry that this space is thriving.” She adds, “We’re definitely seeing more horror submissions. The strongest projects deliver age-appropriate scares, often blending horror with mystery, humor, or fantasy. They feature relatable characters, fresh concepts, and offer thrills that still feel safe and satisfying for young readers.”
Brooks points to Tony Jones’s “Essential YA and Middle Grade Horror” online roundup from earlier this year as a source spotlighting fresh titles in the genre, including Alice Nuttall’s debut The Zombie Project and Larry Hayes’s The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick.
New Literary Agent Listing: Christopher Rogers
firstwriter.com – Friday September 5, 2025
Seeking exclusively nonfiction, including promising, eloquent, scholarly authors with general readership cross-over potential in all fields of history: American, European, Indigenous, Asian, African, etc. as well as psychology, the environment, and biography.
Australian writers shocked and ‘disgusted’ by closure of 85-year-old literary journal Meanjin
theconversation.com – Thursday September 4, 2025
After 85 years of continuous publication, Meanjin, Australia’s second-oldest literary journal, is closing. Editor Esther Anatolitis and deputy editor Eli McLean have been made redundant and the final issue will appear in December. Melbourne University Publishing (MUP), which has housed the magazine since 2007, has cited “purely financial grounds” for the decision.
The closure has been roundly condemned by writers across Australia, including Jennifer Mills, Anna Krien, Claire G. Coleman and Sian Prior, along with former editors including Sophie Cunningham, Jonathan Green and Sally Heath.
“The loss of Meanjin is devastating news for Australian writers and readers,” Mills, a Miles Franklin shortlisted author, wrote on Bluesky. “Always meant so much to see my work there. Some of my best experiences of being edited.”
I’m an Avid Reader, Writer and Bookshop Dweller – These Are the Literary Festivals Not To Miss This Autumn
marieclaire.co.uk – Wednesday September 3, 2025
I've always loved books. As a child I spent countless nights frantically page-turning when I was supposed to be sleeping, and over the last twenty years I've built a robust collection of paperbacks from cute bookstores, friends and endless charity shops. Admittedly, I was locked in a reading slump for a few years and my TBR pile neither expanded nor shrank, but after moving to Brighton and becoming a seasoned cafe-hopper I'm well and truly in my Book Era 2.0.
Since leaving London, I've also spent more time on creative writing - something which has largely taken a back seat since becoming a journalist nine years ago. But I've been desperate for some structure and inspiration; I've joined writing groups, attended local workshops and managed to start (and abandon) The Artist's Way approximately nine times in the last six months. I'm trying.
But it wasn't until recently that I realised just how many incredible literary festivals take place in the UK during my favourite season: autumn. From author panels to inspiring practical workshops, industry insider talks to open mic nights for new voices, had I taken this into account during my book dry spell I might have read more than one book a year, or written my first novel by now. Or, finished The Artist's Way.
Acorn Publishing launches search for next breakout author with San Diego Writers Festival
timesofsandiego.com – Wednesday September 3, 2025
Could your novel or memoir be the next breakout hit? Acorn Publishing is searching nationwide for an unpublished author to take center stage at the 2026 San Diego Writers Festival, which has previously featured writers such as Anne Lamott, James Patterson, and Piper Kerman.
One exceptional unpublished author will receive a full-service publishing package valued at over $11,000, awarded completely free, according to a news release.
The winner will be announced live on stage at the festival in Coronado, which draws roughly 2,000 visitors each year. Past festivals have featured keynote speakers including Anne Lamott, James Patterson, and Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black.
New Literary Agent Listing: Amanda Harris
firstwriter.com – Tuesday September 2, 2025
I would like to represent more quality commercial fiction, and to find authors whose voices and ideas would work across series or multiple standalone titles. In non-fiction, I am looking for "the" book in the chosen subject area, the title that will become core stock in bookshops, sell on for years, and be the benchmark against which others are measured.
Women’s Prize Trust announces Hachette UK partnership to support writer development
womensprize.com – Monday September 1, 2025
We are thrilled to announce a new partnership with Hachette UK to support writer development, including a mentoring scheme for aspiring non-fiction writers and the first ever ‘Discoveries Day’.
Narrative Non-Fiction Mentoring
The narrative non-fiction mentoring programme will form part of ‘Horizons’, the free writing toolkit by the Women’s Prize Trust, designed to inspire and support new voices in the world of non-fiction writing. The mentoring programme will expand the existing resources offered by Horizons, including practical writing resources, features, prompts, free online events, and contributions from publishing industry experts and leading non-fiction writers, and compliment the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, launched in 2024 to celebrate excellent, original and accessible narrative non-fiction, supported by Findmypast.
Free to enter, the mentorship scheme seeks applications from unpublished and unagented women writing non-fiction. Entries are particularly encouraged from experts in science (such as health, psychology and technology) and culture (such as politics and current affairs).
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