Foreshore Books, the small press department of Foreshore Publishing, will publish The Secrets of the Mahogany Chest by Francesca Lombardo in spring 2026. The English-language translation rights have been secured for the US, UK, and international markets. The Secrets of the Mahogany Chest is a literary novel blending memoir-style storytelling with autofictional elements. It tells the moving story of a mother and daughter’s relationship across postwar Italy, 20th-century Rome, and present-day London. At its heart, the novel is a quiet, emotionally resonant meditation on motherhood — not as instinct, but as inheritance — and on female agency within the constraints of family, illness, grief, and societal expectation. With its emotionally layered voice and dual female perspective, The Secrets of the Mahogany Chest will appeal to readers of Elena Ferrante, particularly The Lost Daughter and the Neapolitan Quartet. FRANCESCA LOMBARDO is a journalist and author with dual Italian and British nationality, based in London. Working across languages, cultures, and storytelling forms, her articles have appeared in major publications throughout the UK, Ireland, and Italy, including The Financial Times, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Irish Times, Vogue Italia, Il Sole 24 Ore, D Repubblica, Italy News, and many others. She writes on travel, property, cinema, books, the arts, and cultural trends. After earning a master’s degree in journalism from the London College of Communication in 2005, Francesca spent ten years at Sky Cinema, interviewing international film talent and gaining an insider’s view of the film industry. She currently works in arts communications.
Foreshore Books, the small press imprint of Foreshore Publishing, is delighted to announce the acquisition of Sermon of the Wolf, a poignant, powerful, and masterfully crafted new historical novel by bestselling author David Stokes. Stokes is widely known for his richly researched and evocative historical fiction. His previous works include Angles or Angels?, set during the Christian conversion of 7th-century England, and the bestselling King Alfred’s Daughter, the acclaimed story of Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians. His forthcoming novel, Sermon of the Wolf, reimagines the turbulent life of Emma of Normandy—twice queen of England and one of the most influential women of the pre-Conquest era. Spanning five decades of invasion, dynastic struggle, betrayal, and political upheaval, the book immerses readers in the dramatic final years of the Anglo-Saxon world as it edges toward its fall. Ideal for fans of sweeping medieval drama, book clubs, and readers who love immersive world-building, Sermon of the Wolf blends high political intrigue with intimate human stories. Booksellers can expect a character-driven epic rooted in meticulous research and enriched with themes of loyalty, survival, and shifting power. Publisher Phil M. Shirley praised the novel, saying: “David combines real historical depth with a wonderfully accessible storytelling style. Sermon of the Wolf stays true to the record, but it’s also full of vivid drama, emotional weight, and a compelling central character. It’s a period readers never seem to tire of—Viking clashes, dynastic rivalries, and the gathering storm before 1066. These are themes that continue to resonate, and David brings them to life brilliantly.” Author David Stokes added: “We all know the outcome of the Battle of Hastings, but what happened in the half century before 1066 was just as crucial to the Norman Conquest. Sermon of the Wolf tells the dramatic story of the fall of the Anglo-Saxons and the role of Emma of Normandy, twice queen of England, whose life straddles this period.” Sermon of the Wolf will be published in hardback, trade paperback and eBook in October 2026. DAVID STOKES studied history at Oriel College, Oxford and is Emeritus Professor in entrepreneurship at Kingston University. He has published widely in the non-fiction field during his career as an academic. The Anglo-Saxons have been a lifelong interest, and he has combined this passion with his research skills to write historical fiction focussing on the early medieval period. He has written a series of novels about the Anglo-Saxons: Angles or Angels? set during the time of the Christian conversion in the 7th century; the best-selling King Alfred’s Daughter, the story of Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians; and Sermon of the Wolf, due to be published in October, 2026. For more information about the author including free downloads, go to: davidstokesauthor.com
As Springtime in the Bones prepares for its English debut, it offers readers a rare and resonant journey—a tale of trauma and tenacity, heartbreak and humour, told with an uncompromising poetic voice. It is a testament to the healing power of storytelling and the indispensable value of bringing diverse voices into the global literary conversation. At the heart of Springtime in the Bones is Luísa—a successful publicist navigating the aftermath of two earthshaking events: a violent rape and a painful divorce. Állex Leilla’s narrative courageously explores this woman’s deeply personal journey of anger, heartbreak, and ultimately, renewal. Speaking about her novel, Leilla describes it as “a novel at once poetic and painful, because it shows a woman rebuilding after suffering a rape, and, shortly before this assault, going through an equally difficult divorce. Luísa has a very peculiar sense of humour, loves literature, rock, and film. The story revolves around her quest for revenge and rediscovery—the metaphor of spring renewing everything that winter froze perfectly fits her transformation.” Though the novel was first published as Primavera nos ossos in Brazil in 2010, its themes remain urgently relevant. Leilla reflects with both hope and sorrow: “It’s been 15 years, but the rates of sexual violence in Brazil remain high, especially in the big cities. Rape is one of the most abject forms of violence anyone can suffer. I hope the translation brings renewed attention to this important issue as well as the novel’s other layers.” For Leilla, the English translation is also a portal back to a pivotal time in her life and writing. “Surprisingly, I feel very connected to Primavera nos ossos today because I’m preparing my diaries from the period when I wrote it. These diaries bring old memories and insights to light, allowing me to revisit the emotions and context that shaped the novel’s creation.” Readers can expect more than a raw story: “They will encounter an authentic and complex adventure. I wanted to combine action—sometimes violent—with moments of poetry and humour, keeping paragraphs short and dialogue dynamic to make the story flow energetically.” Amanda Sarasien’s path to translating Springtime in the Bones began in 2020 when Leilla’s Brazilian publisher Casarão do Verbo sent her the manuscript. “I’m always drawn to literature from Bahia, a region rich in culture but underrepresented in translation. The book’s premise—a rape survivor plotting revenge in a noirish tale of impossible love—immediately drew me in. But it was Leilla’s voice, the musicality of the prose, and her playful, subversive manipulation of language that truly captivated me. This is an author who reveres language, both its power and limitations.” The translation process was a marathon of dedication and creativity. Sarasien explains: “It took about four years, juggling this with other projects. I usually read a book once before starting to translate, but with this novel’s cyclical, fragmented narrative and recurring themes, I re-read it many times. The narrative isn’t chronological—it loops like the seasons—so I often had to jump around in the manuscript to maintain consistency and grasp the full arc.” She adopted a strategic approach: “I translated the dialogue first to give the characters their voices in English. Dialogue is tricky to render authentically, so it was important to get that right from the start. Then, I tackled each chapter with multiple drafts, refining and revising. Sometimes, I spent an entire day on one paragraph to capture all the layers, images, and double meanings.” Extensive research and frequent discussions with Leilla helped Sarasien navigate the literary and pop-culture references peppered through the text. “Our collaboration was rewarding. Állex was always available, generously answering my questions without looking over my shoulder, and our correspondence became a rich exchange of insights—not only about the book but about literature and life.” For both Leilla and Sarasien, translated literature is a bridge connecting people beyond borders. Leilla highlights the broader cultural significance: “Literary translation is crucial for cultural exchange. It dissolves geographic boundaries of time and space, bringing people closer. We gain an intimate understanding of diverse cultures—both their unique features and universal human truths.” Sarasien points out the riches to be discovered in translated literature: “Anglophone publishing continues to produce only about 3% work in translation. In contrast, readers in many other languages engage extensively with fiction from around the world, so their literatures are in constant dialogue with ours. Translation into English makes that literary conversation a little less one-sided, infusing new voices, perspectives and narrative experiments into the canon. It’s thrilling and essential.” Beyond this project, both have rich literary backgrounds that shape their work. Leilla’s inspirations include classics like The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, which she admires for encapsulating twentieth-century history, The 25th Hour by Constantin Virgil Gheorghiu for its deep psychological insight, and Brazilian author Caio Fernando Abreu who showed her how to write poetically in prose. Sarasien’s literary path started early with a passion for languages—Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Mandarin—and a love of reading and writing. A late-career shift brought her into literary translation after an acquired disability. Her translating career took over a decade to fruition, marked by persistence and community support. She recommends aspiring translators to: “Read widely in all their languages, stay current with publishing trends, understand the markets in both source and target languages, and find a supportive community. Translation is a long road but deeply rewarding.” Her personal literary inspirations include Don Quixote studied in original 17th-century Spanish, which taught her about novelistic form; Jane Eyre for its layered themes and gothic atmosphere; and Ali Smith’s How to Be Both, admired for its linguistic playfulness and innovation. Foreshore Books, the small press imprint of Foreshore Publishing, will publish Springtime in the Bones in March 2026. AMANDA SARASIEN is a writer and literary translator working from Portuguese and French. A recipient of a 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship, her work has appeared in Electric Literature, The Common, Chicago Review of Books, and elsewhere. She is a founding member of the Third Coast
