Canelo Acquires Debut Novel from The Literary Sofa’s Isabel Costello

Canelo is delighted to announce the acquisition and imminent publication of Paris Mon Amour by Isabel Costello. This debut novel set in France tells the story of one woman and two men, of desire, betrayal and devastating loss. It is reminiscent of M.L. Stedman’s The Light Between Oceans and Helen Walsh’s The Lemon Grove. Canelo will release on June 13th 2016.

Isabel hosts the influential Literary Sofa blog which features authors from new talent to New York Times bestselling novelists. Her candid posts about writing and twice-yearly selections of new fiction have attracted a committed audience. Guest authors on her blog have included Patrick Gale, Linda Grant, Tracy Chevalier and Karen Joy Fowler.

Isabel Costello said ‘Paris Mon Amour was inspired by my frustration with the double standards applied to women and men, especially when it’s about sex or age or both. But from the moment I started to write, it was Alexandra’s story and I’m delighted to be working with such an enthusiastic team at Canelo to share it with readers.’

Iain Millar, Managing Director at Canelo said ‘this is a novel of heart and depth, power and subtlety, beautifully-written with an incredible eye for local detail. Isabel conveys every aspect of relationships – romantic, political, sexual, emotional – with equal skill and verve. It’s certainly a book we’re proud and excited to publish.’

The book was acquired with UK and Commonwealth English language rights (excluding Canada) from Diana Beaumont at United Talent Agency. Diana Beaumont said ‘I am thrilled that Canelo will be publishing this powerful, sensual debut about a woman who finds herself irresistibly attracted to the much younger son of her husband’s best friend. Isabel has an amazing platform and is well-known in the literary world as a great champion of her fellow writers so it’s wonderful to know that her first book will be out this summer.’

Isabel Costello has been shortlisted for the 2012 Asham Award, the 2013 Short Fiction Journal Prize and the inaugural 2014 Room To Write competition. She read Modern Languages (French and German) at Oxford, and has a marketing and communications background. She is also part of the WoMentoring Project, offering support to women novelists. Isabel is represented by Diana Beaumont at United Talent Agency, and can be found on Twitter: @isabelcostello.