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Author Tags

10 Jan 2019 - 06:01

Ian Ross is the author of the Twilight of Empire series. The sixth and final novel in the series, Triumph in Dust, is out in hardback now.

After six books, and close to three quarters of a million words, the ‘Twilight of Empire’ series is at an end. The publication of the sixth and final novel, Triumph in Dust, brings to a conclusion the story of the series’ protagonist, Aurelius Castus, and his adventures in the Roman army of the 4th century AD. Needless to say, it’s a strange feeling.

Remembering Eileen Battersby

26 Dec 2018 - 12:12

Eileen Battersby's absurd death, in a freak road accident at the side of her beloved daughter Nadia, is a significant loss to literary culture in Ireland and beyond.

I've met very few creative writers who had anything like Eileen's all-consuming passion for literature (and music, art and architecture). She read more, and more widely and generously, than any other cultural journalist I have ever encountered. Literature for her was a devouring vocation, and she would read all day and most of the night, distracted only by deadlines and the need to feed the animals she gathered around her and who were for her as important and loving as her human friends.

Under the Ice: Q&A with Rachael Blok

30 Nov 2018 - 12:11

Rachael Blok's debut novel Under the Ice is an emotional crime-thriller set in the 12-day lead up to Christmas, when the idyllic Cathedral city of St Albans is devastated by news of a young girl’s drowning. Katie Smart caught up with Rachael to find out more about the journey and her experience taking the 3-month Curtis Brown Creative (CBC) novel writing course in London back in 2016.

You worked on Under the Ice during your 3-month novel writing course with CBC. How did your time on the course impact the way you wrote your novel?

In the first few weeks of the course my word count halved. The focus on how to edit your writing means looking at your work as a reader and a writer. There’s nothing like having 15 people discuss your writing to really clarify what’s working!

I realised writing a novel is a balancing act: character, plot, tone, description etc. Some characters had to go, and whole sections of description I’d crafted disappeared. I finished knowing that reading, editing, re-reading is a huge part of the process.

Behind Family Trust

09 Nov 2018 - 06:11

Kathy Wang is the author of Family Trust, out from Head of Zeus on 13th December. Family Trust follows the Huangs, a family of Chinese-Americans living in Silicon Valley, through the triumphs and great failures of life, love and the American Dream. By turns laugh-out-loud funny and remarkably poignant, Family Trust is a total joy to read. Here Kathy Wang introduces the book and why she was drawn to write it.

I started writing Family Trust on January 1, 2017. At the time I was at home, on hiatus from my tech career. I’d worked for many years, most recently as a product manager, in Silicon Valley and gone to Harvard for my MBA; now, with my first child just over a year old, I was also pregnant with my second, and my days, which used to be spent at the office, were now centered around meal preparation and library story hour and toddler playgrounds.

Oscar: A Life - Reviews and Praise

29 Oct 2018 - 06:10

Oscar: A Life by Matthew Sturgis is the first major biography of Oscar Wilde in thirty years. This most complete telling of his life and times to date has impressed readers and critics, garnering glowing praise in the press throughout October. Click 'read more' below to take a look at some of the fantastic reviews, and make sure to order your own copy now.

Head of Zeus at the Daggers

26 Oct 2018 - 11:10

At precisely 6.30pm on Thursday 25th October, the publishing industry gathered to celebrate another year of quality crime writing at the Crime Writers’ Association Daggers Awards.

The CWA Daggers has been synonymous with outstanding crime fiction for over fifty years and presents 10 awards each year.

Head of Zeus were lucky enough to have two authors shortlisted: Martin Edwards for Dagger in the Library and Laura Thompson for the Non-Fiction Gold Dagger.

Don’t forget his name...

19 Oct 2018 - 12:10

J.S. Monroe’s debut thriller, Find Me, was a critically acclaimed bestseller in the UK and Ireland in 2018. This autumn, he will be back on the bookshelves, with a dazzling new psychological thriller, Forget My Name.

Where did you get your inspiration for this book?

I live in a village in Wiltshire and have always wondered what would happen if a stranger arrived off the train from London, walked up to our front door and said she lived in our house. She appears to be in a fugue state, suffering from amnesia – something that I think we all live in fear of. Throw in the number of psychiatric patients each year who, tragically, go on to kill after being released into the community; a widespread suspicion of Russia’s continued covert activities in Wiltshire; and a local journalist haunted by a girlfriend from his distant past and you have the inspiration for a thriller that explores multiple and frightening explanations for the woman’s mysterious arrival.

A Celebration of Gallows Court

26 Sep 2018 - 06:09

It's our stop on the Gallows Court blog tour and our moment to celebrate Martin Edward's brilliant fast-paced and twisty thriller.

LONDON, 1930 Sooty, sulphurous, and malign: no woman should be out on a night like this. A spate of violent deaths – the details too foul to print – has horrified the capital and the smog-bound streets are deserted. But Rachel Savernake – the enigmatic daughter of a notorious hanging judge – is no ordinary woman. To Scotland Yard’s embarrassment, she solved the Chorus Girl Murder, and now she’s on the trail of another killer.

Remember My Story, Forget My Name

20 Sep 2018 - 11:09

We are so excited that Forget My Name is coming out on 4th October! Forget My Name is the sensational thriller written by J.S. Monroe, the bestselling author of Find Me.

How do you know who to trust... ...when you don't even know who you are?

You are outside your front door.

There are strangers in your house.

Then you realise. You can't remember your name.

She arrived at the train station after a difficult week at work. Her bag had been stolen, and with it, her identity. Her whole life was in there – passport, wallet, house key. When she tried to report the theft, she couldn’t remember her own name. All she knew was her own address.

Now she's outside Tony and Laura's front door. She says she lives in their home. They say they have never met her before.

An Array of Hedgehog Facts

12 Sep 2018 - 12:09

To celebrate the publication of Sally Coulthard's beautiful new book, The Hedgehog Handbook, we have put together a list of ten fun facts about our endangered spiny friends.

Night Flight To Paris: Blog Tour

28 Aug 2018 - 05:08

Today is our stop on the Night Flight To Paris Blog Tour! To celebrate we have put together a video of David Gilman discussing the inspiration for his book and his writing process with his editor, Nicolas Cheetham.

Night Flight to Paris is out now in hardback and ebook.

Dream casting The Psychology of Time Travel, with Kate Mascarenhas

21 Aug 2018 - 03:08

Kate Mascarenhas is the debut author of the acclaimed The Psychology of Time Travel. Even ahead of launching to huge praise, the novel was garnering attention, and has been picked up by the creative team at AMC who were behind Mad Men. Here, author Kate Mascarenhas discusses her dream casting for the role.

The Psychology of Time Travel: Reviews and Praise

15 Aug 2018 - 12:08

The Psychology of Time Travel has won over the readers and critics, proving a huge fan favourite for August and garnering immense praise. Check out for some of the glowing praise so far, and make sure to order your own copy now.