Foreshore Publishing has signed crime thriller The Heads by writer, comedian and playwright John Livings. Phil M. Shirley, publisher-in-chief, acquired rights directly from the author for The Heads which will be published with the RiverRun imprint of Foreshore in September 2025 . The Heads is a darkly humorous crime thriller that centres on a drug syndicate smuggling millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine into Australia. “When I first read The Heads, I was completely absorbed by the plot as well as the execution of it,” Shirley said. “John is a huge talent and has written a fun and ingenious crime novel that is gripping from start to finish.” As a stand-up comedian John Livings has performed in the UK, the USA, and all the major (and not so major) comedy venues across Australia. Currently based in Scotland, he has several successful theatre writing credits under his belt that includes At Last: The Etta James Story. The show has toured Australia and New Zealand extensively, sold-out the Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne on numerous occasions and has twice toured the UK. John also wrote a narrative concert featuring the music, life and tragic death of Marvin Gaye, which also toured Australia as well as South Africa. He’s also written shows for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival; the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; and global dance sensation Burn the Floor.
Foreshore has today announced it has acquired My Brother Turned into a Crow! a collection of “lively poems for lively young readers (8-12+)” by bestselling Irish poet Gabriel Rosenstock. Phil M. Shirley, publisher-in-chief, acquired rights directly from the author for My Brother Turned into a Crow! which will be published with the Cascade imprint of Foreshore in September 2025 . Rosenstock, the 2023 recipient of the Annual Children’s Books Ireland Award for his outstanding contribution to children’s books, has authored, edited or translated over 180 books. His poetry is the heart of this body of literary work. “As a publisher and poet, I never would have dreamed of this opportunity. Gabriel is an extraordinary writer who is, arguably, as elusive and he is prolific. I was inspired by the English translations of his work, poems such as Liadhain and Like an Owl. I had goose bumps when we received the submission for My Brother Turned into a Crow! “ Gabriel Rosenstock is a bilingual poet, haikuist, tankaist, novelist, children’s author, translator, critic, short story writer and in the words of Hugh MacDiarmid, ‘a champion of forlorn causes’. He is committed to the periphery and to forging links between minority cultures and languages. His wide ranging translations from European and world writers have enriched and invigorated Irish Gaelic. He is also a widely published children’s writer. His poetry is lyrical and vivid – infused with Irish myth and folklore, but his poetry is also open to influences from Japan – he is a recognised master of the haiku – and from India, which he knows well. Among his honours is the Irish Children’s Books Annual Award in 2023 for his work in revolutionising Irish poetry for children and an Arts Council Bursary in 2024. He is also a recipient of the Judges’ Award and Irish Book Awards. Photo: Máire Uí Mhaicín c/o https://portraidi.ie/en/gabriel-rosenstock/.
Foreshore has acquired FLAX: THE LEGEND OF TULA by Alison Jean Lester, author of the universally acclaimed novel Lillian on Life, translated into French, Italian and German. Foreshore will publish FLAX: THE LEGEND OF TULA, a Young Adult (YA) novel with the RiverRun imprint of Foreshore in autumn this year. “We are thrilled to have Alison Jean Lester join the Foreshore list with this incredible fast-paced dystopian-esque adventure,” says Phil M. Shirley, Publisher-in-Chief, Foreshore Publishing. “FLAX: THE LEGEND OF TULA further proves that Alison is a storyteller whose talent has no limits.” Lester’s speculative and adventurous YA novel takes place in an imagined country, but the story speaks to contemporary issues of autocratic power, colourism and homophobia, emphasising love. “The poetic form of writing is new and fresh,” Shirley added. “Readers will be blown away by the whole experience.” About FLAX: THE LEGEND OF TULA: Welcome to the world of Rakana, where those who are allowed to wear blue, the Governors, live at the Edge of the country, surrounding the Undyed population of the Interior. FLAX: The Legend of Tula is the story of the greatest change in the country’s history. When 16-year-old, Undyed Tula is surprised to find that she is pregnant, she knows that she won’t be able to keep her baby, because it is not her turn. The Blues control the population via the Count, keeping the numbers stable not by terminating pregnancies but by moving babies who are born out of turn to where they are needed. Tula is helped by her grandmother to escape, and, in seeing what she is not supposed to see in the world outside her hometown, starts gaining the Knowledge that she wants to pass on to her child. About Alison Jean Lester: Alison Jean Lester is the author of the novels Lillian on Life (Putnam Books (US)/John Murray Books (UK), 2015), which was also translated into French, Italian and German, Yuki Means Happiness (John Murray Books, 2017), Glide (Bench Press Books, 2021) and The Sound of It (Bench Press Books, 2022). She is also the author of the short-story collection, Locked Out: Stories Far from Home (Monsoon Books, 2007) and the memoir, Absolutely Delicious: A Chronicle of Extraordinary Dying (Bench Press Books, 2020). She is the product of a British mother and an American father, and speaks with an American accent but lives in England. Before moving to the UK she spent 25 years in Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore), the result of her BA in Mandarin (double-major with French) and her MA in Chinese studies and international relations.
