Canelo
Jennie Ayres, Commissioning Editor, Hera
I commission across a range of genres including romance, book club and historical fiction, but my main focus at the moment is on building my crime and thriller list.
I am on the lookout for fresh voices with original tales to tell, whether this be atmospheric dark academia, unsettling mom/domestic noir, a new take on a glossy psych thriller or a dark, gritty police procedural. My favourite authors include Rosamund Lupton, Sarah Hilary, Lisa Jewell and Alex Michaelides.
I have worked at Hera for nearly three years, after more than a decade working as a freelance editor for a range of publishers.
Books I’m proud of…
A book that I am proud to have commissioned is Estella’s Revenge, a Gothic feminist retelling of Great Expectations. It was the first ever Hera hardback and received rave reviews from authors including Sophie Hannah and Janice Hallett, as well as the Daily Mail. It was longlisted for the Theakstons Crime Book of the Year and I am excited to publish the sequel, Estella’s Fury, in November 2025. I am also proud and delighted that The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl, the second book in the Hotel Hollywood Mysteries series I commissioned by Lisa Hall, won the inaugural CWA Whodunnit Dagger.
A book I wish I’d published…
The book that I would have loved to have published is In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan, a stunningly original and prescient police procedural featuring a working partnership between an experienced detective and an AI. The story is compelling, the plotting immaculate, and the themes handled with great intelligence and sensitivity.