News
August 2022
Heading to Edinburgh International Book Festival
I’m really looking forward to talking about “Secrets and Lies” at EIBF this year with Fiona Erskine and Alex Gray! Do join us on Sunday 21st August at 4.15pm – read more and get your tickets from EIBF here.
July 2022
What Doesn’t Break Us is launched!
I launched What Doesn’t Break Us, the third and final book in my crime trilogy, this week at the beautiful Dornoch Bookshop. It was a brilliant day – thank you to everyone who came along.
May 2022
Woman’s Hour
I was on Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4 this morning talking about The Growing Season, artificial wombs and the future of reproduction. If you missed the show you can listen on the BBC website.
May 2022
Cover Reveal for What Doesn’t Break Us
I’m delighted to share with you the cover for the third and final novel in my crime trilogy, What Doesn’t Break Us! The book will be published on 7th July 2022.
January 2022
The Growing Season – drawing closer to reality
An article entitled “Ectogenesis and Representations of Future Motherings in Helen Sedgwick’s The Growing Season” has recently been published, discussing my novel and its exploration of new reproductive technologies and the different feminisms within the contemporary (and historical) ethical debate of the future of motherhood.
It’s a fascinating read and quite an amazing experience for me to see someone engaging so thoroughly and expertly with my work. You can read it and download the PDF here: https://www.atlantisjournal.org/index.php/atlantis/article/view/784
And as the technology I imagined in The Growing Season advances towards a reality, discussion of what it will mean for society are increasing. As Mia Sorenti says in this recent review:
“Since ‘The Growing Season’ was published in 2017, some striking developments have been made in reproductive technology… these innovations and the ethical concerns surrounding them certainly imply a trajectory not so dissimilar to that of FullLife and its baby pouch. Consequently, as our own reality draws closer to that of Sedgwick’s speculations, the need for preemptive legislative, social and cultural change becomes ever-more pressing.”
July 2021
Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship
I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed as the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellow for 2021!
During the year, I’m going to be writing a four book sci-fi series about human connection across four planets where technology and nature collide.
I’d like to say a huge thank you Creative Scotland, who run the fellowship and are the hosts for this year. It means the absolute world to me!
Read more about it on the Creative Scotland website.
July 2021
Where The Missing Gather
I am delighted to show you the cover for the second book in my crime trilogy, Where The Missing Gather, coming out on 8th July. My author copies have just arrived and I am thrilled to bits with them.
June 2021
25 best books to read this summer
I’m delighted that Where The Missing Gather has been selected as one of 25 best books to read this summer in the Herald! Thank you to Susan Swarbrick for choosing it.
It’s a great list and you can look through it all and get great book recommendations here:
Enjoy your summer reading 🙂
June 2021
When The Dead Come Calling out in paperback
I’m delighted to say that When The Dead Come Calling is now out in paperback!
It’s available in all good bookshops, and here I am signing copies in the wonderful Waterstones in Inverness:
December 2020
Best of 2020
It’s that time of year when Best Of lists arrive and it’s been an absolute honour to appear on some of them.
I was surprised and delighted to see When The Dead Come Calling on this stellar list of Great Scottish Novels from 2020 from Scottish Book Trust, and honoured that the wonderful Scots Whay Hae! podcast included it in their top ten and published a brilliant review as well.
Lots of superb books to choose from on these lists, so if you’re still buying Christmas presents, do take a look…
I’ll sign of for now and wish you all a very happy holiday!
See you in 2021
Helen xx
October 2020
Creative Scotland award
I’m over the moon to announce that I’ve been given a Creative Scotland Open Fund award to write my next literary novel.
The book will be called Our Sweet World, and will be a novel about four strikingly different human societies that have arisen on four environmentally different and physically distant planets. On one level the story will be a human interpretation of quantum entanglement, and on another it will be a story about resilience and a reimagining of how human community might function at its best.
You can hear me talking a bit about it here.
I’m very excited about the book and grateful to Creative Scotland for enabling me to write it – their Open Fund really does offer life-changing support for writers. So, to make it official:
I acknowledge support from the national lottery through creative scotland towards the writing of Our Sweet World.
Thank you, Creative Scotland!
September 2020
Celebrating Scotland’s women writers
Some of the best female novelists working today are Scottish. You’ve just never heard of them.
This superb article by Claire Askew was recently published in Bella Caledonia, and I wanted to share it here. Written in response to an article in The Times asking where all the young, female, Scottish novelists were, this article is a joyous collection of recommendations of the many outstanding women writers working in Scotland today.
And thank you, Claire, for including me!
August 2020
When The Dead Come Calling
I’ve been overwhelmed with the support for my debut crime book, launched shortly before lockdown arrived. A highlight for me was a tweet and endorsement from the incredible Lemn Sissay who said:
“Unputdownable. When the Dead Come Calling tracks the toxin which seeped into a village. If you read closer you will see who the ‘key workers’ are. Helen Sedgwick saw into the future and that future is now! It’s an incredible book! READ IT.”
I’m blown away by the fact he even read it, let alone enjoyed it so much, so this pretty much made my year.
Lemn’s book, My Name Is Why, is one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read. You can buy it here and I recommend it to absolutely everyone.
March 2020
Reviews and self-isolation
The start of the year has seen some wonderful reviews for When The Dead Come Calling in the Scotsman and the Herald.
“ Sedgwick’s writing is minutely observational, clever and warm. One minute you are transported by her descriptions of the landscape, the next she is raising the hairs on the back of your neck with her dreamlike descriptions of whatever lurks in the cave at the foot of the cliffs. It is her portrayal of the closed world of a remote community, however, that will chill you to the bone.” ~ Scotsman
“It is a feature of Sedgwick’s writing that she can “do” the believable supernatural, and the pages of When The Dead Come Calling fairly sizzle with stag- men, menhirs and evil carrion birds… a thumpingly good read shot through with some beautiful prose – “rain like slashes of metal” – and exploring a plethora of thought-provoking themes.” ~ Herald
And I had a marvellous event in Edinburgh’s Lighthouse Books called Challenging the Narrative with authors Jane Alexander, Rachel Plummer and Jemma Neville.
But as the Coronavirus arrived in Scotland, it became clear that things were about to change. As I write this I don’t yet know if the rest of my planned launch events in Skye and Inverness will be taking place. It is a hard time for all authors, so if you’re stuck at home wondering what to do, might I suggest ordering a book to read – most shops are offering postal deliveries and you can always download an eBook.
Stay healthy and happy 🙂
February 2020
When The Dead Come Calling launched!
January saw a series of wonderful book launches for When The Dead Come Calling. I introduced the book to packed out audiences in Inverness and Glasgow, and later in the month to Edinburgh. A huge thank you to all the brilliant authors and chairpeople who have joined me: Claire Askew, Viccy Adams, Mary Paulson-Ellis, Gill Tasker, SG MacLean, Barbara Henderson, Jennifer Morag Henderson and Margaret Kirk.
Here are some photos. I am over the moon that this novel is now out in the world!
Glasgow Launch in the beautiful Waterstones Sauchiehall Street with Mary Paulson-Ellis and Gill Tasker.
A packed launch in my beautiful local Waterstones Inverness with Margaret Kirk, barbara henderson, Jennifer Morag Henderson and SG MacLean.
And finally my Edinburgh launch with the talented Claire Askew and Viccy Adams.
January 2020
Herald Hot List
I am delighted to be featured on the Herald Hot List 2020! You can read an interview with me here… “I began to wish I had become a forensic anthropologist instead of an author”.
December 2019
Blog Tour Announced
The blog tour for When The Dead Come Calling has just been announced, and it looks amazing!
There’s not too long to wait now – January is just around the corner…
Until then, wishing you all a Happy Merry Christmas and a book-filled New Year xx
November 2019
When The Dead Come Calling Book Tour
When The Dead Come Calling will be published on January 9th!
I’ll be celebrating the launch with a book tour all around Scotland throughout January, February and March. I’ll be in Inverness, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Portmahomack, Skye, Edinburgh (again), and I’ll be talking to lots of fantastic local authors about crime fiction and why we write it.
I would love to see you at any (or all) of these events – everyone welcome, everywhere.
October 2019
Proof Copies Arrive
Proof copies for When The Dead Come Calling have arrived and they look gorgeous! I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of this book. And we even have beautiful postcards too.
June 2019
When The Dead Come Calling
I am thrilled to reveal the title and cover of my first crime novel, When The Dead Come Calling!
It will be published in March 2020 by Point Blank Books, and is the first book in my crime series, The Burrowhead Mysteries.
April 2019
Reinventing Motherhood – The Vintage Podcast
I loved being interviewed for the brilliant Vintage podcast, talking about The Growing Season, reproductive biotechnology, childbirth, and feminism. You can listen here.
And they took a beautiful photo of The Growing Season too. Spring has arrived!
March 2019
The Growing Season paperback publication
On March 7th The Growing Season paperback was launched into the world and I could not be more thrilled. I am particularly proud of this book; I feel like it was the novel I was meant to write. I love the paperback cover too – here are a couple of photos of me and my daughter Hazel admiring it.
To celebrate I joined the wonderful authors Hanna Jameson and Sophie Mackintosh to talk about Women Writing Dystopia at Waterstones Covent Garden. The event was sold out and I had a fascinating, enjoyable and really inspiring evening, with a glass of Prosecco (or two) to round it off. You can just about see me in the bright orange shirt right at the front!
February 2019
ABC Radio
This month I have been part of a series of programmes for Australian ABC radio called Future Uterus. I’m talking about The Growing Season and the science that inspired it, while the other interviewees include a recipient of one of the world’s very first uterus transplants, and scientists doing profound work building artificial wombs to help precariously premature babies.
It’s a truly fascinating series of programmes and you can listen to Part 1 here.
It was lovely to have another visit to the brilliant BBC Studio in Inverness, this time to be talking to someone on the other side of the world. Here I am, looking very official in my crazy striped fluorescent jumper. With the time difference, I had to be there first thing – a little bit of a challenge given the snow we had at home – but I made it!
January 2019
The Growing Season Paperback
The Growing Season will be published in paperback on 7th March 2019 and I’m very excited to show you the cover – I absolutely love it!
October 2018
Saltire Society Literary Award Shortlist
I’ve been on maternity leave this year and I see it has been a long time since I last posted an update – but I’m back! My daughter is now eight months old and October has seen her learning to crawl, a prize shortlisting for The Growing Season, and a must-read listing for The Comet Seekers.
I was delighted and quite overwhelmed to hear that The Growing Season has been shortlisted for the Saltire Society Literary Awards Fiction Book of the Year 2018. You can read more about the prize and all the other brilliant books shortlisted here. The winners will be announced during a prize ceremony in Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh at the end of November. Wish me luck!
The Comet Seekers has been included in a list of Must-Read Books For People Who Love Space – along with lots of other books I’d love to read! Do have a look at the website and video on Ezvid Wiki and check out all those fantastic books about the universe out there.
March 2018
Three Book Deal for Crime Trilogy
I’m very excited to announce that I have signed a three book deal with Oneworld for my new crime trilogy! The first novel of The Burrowhead Mysteries will be In Whitehorn Cave, to be published in 2020.
October 2017
US News: The Comet Seekers in Paperback
October saw the launch of The Comet Seekers in paperback in the US, and it’s been included in the Harper Collins book club too:
And The Growing Season also got a wonderful and very detailed review in The Guardian: “Sedgwick keeps us in a suspenseful state of discomfort until near the end… The Growing Season poses a compelling what-if about the female body, technology and power.”
September 2017
The Growing Season Publication
The Growing Season is out in the world! We celebrated publication with a launch in Waterstones Argyle Street, Glasgow. The Growing Season was also selected as one of the Ten Best Feminist Dystopian Novels by Red and publication week saw a great review in The Big Issue:
“Sedgwick describes her off-kilter world brilliantly and she considers the big ideas in her novel from all sides like a true scientist… It’s smart and thoughtful writing – a novel to make you consider deeply what family means and what the not-too-distant future might hold.”
Publication week was followed by a trip to London for book signings at Waterstones TCR, Goldsboro Books, LRB, and Hatchards – where I got to sit at Oscar Wilde’s table. And then it was to the BBC for an interview for Radio 4’s Open Book with Mariella Frostrup. If you missed it on the radio, you can listen to it here.
Finally the Edinburgh launch of The Growing Season was held in the beautiful Golden Hare Books – it was a wonderful event and you can read more about it (and see some photos) here.
August 2017
Edinburgh International Book Festival
August saw the pre-release of The Growing Season at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, where I had an event with author Sarah Moss. It was great to discuss gender, healthcare, feminism and the future of human relationships.
And August was also the month for the paperback release of The Comet Seekers. The two books were side by side on the shelves in the bookshop, which was lovely to see. Thank you to the wonderfully enthusiastic audience and everyone who came to the book signing afterwards, too!
June 2017
The Comet Seekers Paperback
The paperback of The Comet Seekers has been printed and my author copies have arrived in the highlands! The feel of the cover is gorgeous and it glints in the light giving it a magical look. It’ll be in the shops in August.
June was also the month of Solas Festival, where I gave a preview of The Growing Season – it was great to see how interested the audience were in the ideas around biotechnology and gender that the book explores. And I’ve been getting to know my wonderful and talented WoMentoring mentee. Here comes a plug for the WoMentoring Project – an inspiring place full of women helping women.
May 2017
The Growing Season Proofs Arrive
Proofs for The Growing Season have arrived, and the cover is wonderfully intriguing and clever. It’s great to see the novel in actual book form as well – I feel very invested in this story and I’m now as nervous as I am excited about it coming out!
April 2017
The Growing Season
My new novel, The Growing Season, will be published on 7th September 2017. I love the cover, which draws on various elements of the book including biotechnology, nature, a lighthouse, and the tropical indigo hamlet fish! You can read more about The Growing Season on my books page or the Penguin Random House website.
March 2017
The Comet Seekers paperback cover
I’m excited to show you the new cover for The Comet Seekers paperback, which will be published in August this year by Vintage. I love the hint of something ghostly about the figures, the colours, the night sky (of course) – and that quote from the amazing Marian Keyes.
And The Comet Seekers will be coming out in paperback in US and Canada as well – as you can see, they will be using the UK hardback cover image for the paperback in the states. I love the cover so much, I’m delighted.
I’ve been quiet on here so far in 2017, but I’m back… And I’m hoping to write in April with more details about my new novel, The Growing Season, which will be published in 2017. And I’m getting married next month. So all in all, it’s shaping up to be a busy year!
December 2016
New Year, New Novel
December’s post is sneaking in just days before the new year, but I’m here and I have news! Earlier this month, The Comet Seekers got a wonderful and unexpected review in the New York Times Book Review from Andrea Barrett:
“A fluid narrative voice, pointedly lyrical and without a trace of irony, gives equal weight to the perceptions of both ghosts and living characters. And, as in the work of contemporary fabulists like Kelly Link, Helen Oyeyemi and Audrey Niffenegger, the real intersects matter-of-factly with the supernatural…Many of this novel’s pleasures have to do with teasing out the implications of Sedgwick’s intricate pattern…This web of associations, spun by recurring images and figures, lends a different spin to the idea of a love that’s meant to be.”
It’s a fascinating and thoughtful review, and a real honour. Thank you, Andrea Barrett!
My other piece of news, aside from the blizzard and storms (plural) that have kept us company over the holidays, is that my second novel, The Growing Season, is going to be published next year! It’s due out in August 2017 with Harvill Secker, and I’m looking forward to telling you more about it as things progress next year.
For now, I’m off to make a rhubarb and berry crumble, so I leave you with this photo of Christmas in the highlands. Merry holidays to you all, and a very happy New Year!
November 2016
New York Times Review
The Comet Seekers has been reviewed in the New York Times. Wonderfully they have called my book:
“An exquisitely layered, thrilling novel, which leaps across centuries and continents to delve into the role of destiny and the elusiveness of perception and memory.”
I couldn’t have imagined a better review (you can read the whole thing in the NY Times) and it arrived just after a wonderful Halloween writers’ retreat with my friends and authors Viccy Adams and Jane Alexander. We made spooky lanterns and took a nighttime woodland walk with The Woodland Trust, as well as getting lots of writing done and discussing uncanny fiction and professionalism in the creative arts.
Later in the month, I’ll be appearing at Ness Book Fest, and as part of Book Week Scotland in both Inverness and Dundee. More details on my Events page. Thanks for checking in, and here’s a photo of me in the Highlands from Michael Gallacher.
October 2016
American Launch
October has raced by in a flash of low sun and autumnal colours – I can hardly believe it’s nearly November already! This month The Comet Seekers was released in America and Canada, I’ve been on a podcast for HarperAcademic, listed on BuzzFeed’s 24 Brilliant Books for Autumn, and given readings in Durham, Dingwall, and Oban.
To start, here are some photos from my travels, and a picture of the amazing comet-themed cakes that Sarah from Waterstones Oban made especially for my visit!
And here are the beautiful book covers from the US and Canada. The US edition on the left is a hardback, and the Canadian on the right is a trade paperback. It’s been wonderful to hear from my friends across the atlantic spotting the book in shops and libraries. Thank you to HarperCollins for these lovely editions, and Hello to North America from Scotland!
September 2016
The Comet Seekers – Out In The World
August ended with my book launch, and after a wonderful month including events at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Book Fringe, The Comet Seekers was officially released into the world. September started with some great reviews – some of my favourites are online and you can read them in the Irish Times, the List, Glamour, Publishers Weekly, and even the Otago Daily Times all the way from New Zealand.
I took a trip down to London to be on BBC Woman’s Hour at the start of the month (for the next few weeks I think you can listen to the interview online here) and I also got to spend some time relaxing with my family and visiting the London Wetland Centre to see otters, cranes, and a beautiful black swan.
For the rest of the month, my plans include a book launch in Edinburgh on the 14th, and an appearance at the Wigtown Book Festival on the 25th September. And my big news is that The Comet Seekers has been chosen as Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month, which is very exciting – and has resulted in some beautifully creative window displays!
Have a wonderful September everyone, and a fresh and bright start to autumn.
August 2016
Publication Month!
August has arrived, and that means it is finally publication month for The Comet Seekers! I have three events lined up in August to celebrate: Edinburgh International Book Festival on the 17th, The Edinburgh Book Fringe on the 18th, and my Glasgow launch party on the 25th. You can read more about them on my events page here.
And in a great start to the month, The Comet Seekers has been chosen as Book of the Month by ELLE. There is a lovely review as well, which you can read in the magazine and in this photo:
July 2016
Hardbacks Arrive
The Comet Seekers has arrived from the printers! It looks beautiful, with embossed figures and gorgeous bright blue endpapers inside. It’s a great feeling to finally hold it in my hands. Here are some photos:
This month I visited bookshops in Glasgow and Edinburgh with my publicist, Anna, to take them proof copies of The Comet Seekers and chat about our plans for publication. In total we visited: Golden Hare Books, Edinburgh Bookshop, Blackwell, and Waterstones on Edinburgh West End, Argyle Street, Sauchiehall Street, and Byres Road. A highlight was getting to sign the famous Edinburgh Bookshop ladder!
June 2016
Summer Arrives
I’m just home after a great trip to London: Stoke Newington Literary Festival, bookshop visits, and finally seeing the original embroidery that is being used for the Comet Seekers cover! Here are some photos from the sunny capital during our bookshop tour, in the beautiful and friendly Daunt Books and Dulwich Books.
And here are some close ups of the embroidery by Chloe Giordano, which I think is just exquisite. So wonderful to see it in person!
It’s going to be a busy month for me – over the next few weeks I’ll be heading down to Edinburgh to teach at Grrrl Con, to Glasgow to speak to book groups at the Mitchell Library, and then on twitter as part of Scot Lit Fest. More details about all the events are on my events page here. Thanks for checking in!
May 2016
London Bookshop Visits & Stoke Newington Literary Festival
I’ve been invited to talk at Alex Clark’s Rising Stars at the Stoke Newington Literary Festival. Here’s what they say:
“Literary critic for the Guardian and Observer, Alex Clark knows more than most about which new writers are smoking hot, which will break through and what it takes to win over new audiences. She’s selected some of 2016’s most exciting voices and this is your chance to see them early in their careers.”
And while I’m in London, I’ll also be going on a bookshop tour – looking forward to talking to the booksellers at (deep breath) Waterstones, Foyles, Goldsboro, Heywood Hill, Hatchards Piccadilly, Dulwich Books, Village Books and Daunt Marylebone!
April 2016
American Proof Copies Arrive
I’m thrilled that the proof copies from the US have arrived! The front cover you see here is the same as the cover image that will be on the hardbacks out in October. Beautiful design from the talented Gregg Kulick at Harper.
March 2016
First Advance Quote for The Comet Seekers
The first advance quote for The Comet Seekers has come in from Joseph O’Connor, author of Star of the Sea: “Helen Sedgwick has written a first novel of remarkable grace, beauty and insight, in which a careful love of language meets an immense storytelling talent. I was moved and inspired by this book.”
February 2016
Proof Copies of The Comet Seekers
Proof copies of The Comet Seekers have arrived! Here’s a photo of me, celebrating their arrival. The cover shows the embroidery – still a work in progress at this point – that is being created by Chloe Giordano for the hardbacks out in August.
November 2015
The Comet Seekers Audio Book
I’m excited to say that an audio book of The Comet Seekers is going to be released by Bolinda.
September 2015
The Comet Seekers in US and Canada
The Comet Seekers is going to be published in the US and Canada by HarperCollins! The release is Autumn 2016 and you can pre-order it as an e-book or hardback here.
August 2015
Book Deal
I’m delighted to announce that my novel, The Comet Seekers, will be published by Harvill Secker in the summer of 2016.
February 2015
Cove Park
Had a wonderful week at Cove Park thanks to the Scottish Book Trust and my latest novel is now complete! More details to follow soon.