Dear Reader,
I’m on my way to Berlin, where I’ve been invited to undertake a writing residency at the Literary Colloquium. If you’ve read Double or Nothing, you’ll know the place, because I used the villa by Lake Wannsee as inspiration for Felix Leiter’s house. I was last there in December 2019, when I appeared on a panel intended to celebrate and connect young British writers to German readers post-Brexit.
At that time, I knew I was being discussed as the next Bond writer but nothing was confirmed yet, so I did my best to keep the secret while hoovering up the City of Spies. If you saw me then and wondered why I was grinning manically, now you know. Still, I counselled myself not to get too excited, too ahead of myself. It’s amazing to return now with a mission to write the third novel in the Double O series. So much has changed in such a short period. Thinking back to my writing first novel, Testament, I carried out archival and site-based research across Europe, staying in hostels and writing in hope, no agent or publisher yet. Since then, my horizons have continued to broaden in ways that amaze me, and I feel incredibly grateful for the adventure.
I’m on research leave this semester, the first term in more than a decade that I’ll have no teaching. I may go mad with the freedom. It got off to a bumpy start, though, as I began 2024 with the flu and then recovered to plough through marking. So no writing yet, another reason I’m excited to go to Berlin, a city that’s been creatively kind to me in the past, sparking Testament in 2012. If you’ve been to the Jewish Museum Berlin, you’ll know the Voids, where the novel first came to me in a shaft of light through the darkness.
I’m hoping to write the middle chunk of the third Double O novel at the Literary Colloquium Berlin, so please send good writing wishes. And if you’re writing anything this January, I hope the new year creative angels smile on you too. It’s funny to be talking about the third book when the second, A Spy Like Me, isn’t released until April. Founding members of girl with the golden will soon receive signed copies of the proof, and you can pre-order the book now. Here’s a look at the beautiful US cover – I love the classic yet contemporary vibes.
A big shout out to David Lowbridge-Ellis at Licence to Queer, who over Christmas took the US proof to Venice, where much of the novel takes place. Check out the Licence to Queer Instagram for some very beautiful shots of the book on location!
This month, the paperback of A Wild & True Relation was published with a beautiful new red and yellow jacket. It’s been amazing to see so many people sharing the book already, and if you’re just picking up your copy, I hope you enjoy it! Founding members of girl with the golden pen will also receive signed paperbacks.
If you’ve not read much about A Wild & True Relation yet, this book is for you if you love adventure, swashbuckling smugglers, feminist fiction, and guest spots from Charles Dickens, George Eliot and more…
If you’re outside of the Commonwealth, there’s also some good news: the audio book of A Wild & True Relation has just been released and is available globally! It’s a stunning production featuring an original soundtrack by award-winning composer and violinist John Matthias. If you came to the launch for A Wild & True Relation, you witnessed the beginning of my collaboration with John, and it’s been amazing to see him bring the whole book to life. Also just super surreal that Radiohead’s violinist is on my audio book!
I’ll let you know how I get on in Berlin. If you have any good spy-related tips for the city, please let me know!
Writing this has made me nostalgic, so for paying subscribers, I’m including an article below that originally appeared (in a slightly altered form) in Harper’s Bazaar after Testament won the Harper’s Bazaar Big Book Award. In it, I look back on research for my first novel, the role Berlin played, and the importance of faith when it comes to writing your debut.
From Kim, With Love x
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to girl with the golden pen to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.