Canelo
Craig Lye, Commissioning Editor, Canelo
I am looking for historical fiction from around the globe, spanning a range of sub-genres, including crime, adventure and feminist re-tellings rooted in legends and mythology. High-calibre authors writing contemporary espionage novels or thrillers who can bring personal insight to the story are also firmly on my wishlist!
I have been an editor with Canelo for five years, working across our historical and adventure titles. I have always loved how fiction can bring dusty history to vivid life, and am always on the lookout for the next tale that offers new, exciting insight into forgotten history, that can help us feel the fears and joys people from the time might have felt – to live the story.
Books I’m proud of…
I am proud to publish former MI6 operative Charles Beaumont’s novels, most recently A Spy at War, which lifts the curtain on Russian disinformation tactics in the Ukraine war, and shows us the dangers of the shadow war being waged in the Western media. I am also very proud to publish The African Samurai by Craig Shreve, which tells the story of Yasuke, the first-ever Black samurai, whose story had largely been lost to history…
A book I wish I’d published…
I would love to have published Conn Iggulden’s Nero trilogy. This is a pitch-perfect period of Roman history for a master storyteller, with a package that is spot on for the current market, and no shortage of vivid characters and events to propel the plot forwards!