John Murray unveils new batch of JM Originals

John Murray is adding three new titles to its 2016 JM Originals list: Blind Water Pass by Anna Metcalfe, The Bed Moved by Rebecca Schiff and Marlow’s Landing by Toby Vieira.

JM Originals was launched in 2015 as "a home for fresh and distinctive new writing", publishing its first two titles in July last year.

Blind Water Pass will be published on 19th May, priced £10.99, and is a debut short story collection by Anna Metcalfe, a finalist of the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award 2014 for her story ‘Number Three’. Blind Water Pass are stories about communication and miscommunication between characters and across cultures. UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, were secured from Karolina Sutton at Curtis Brown.

Another short story collection, The Bed Moved by Rebecca Schiff, will be published on 30th June, priced £10.99, offering a view of "growing up (or not)" and "finding love (or not)". Schiff, whose collection was published in the U.S by Knopf in April, has been praised by the New York Times for “an almost Nabokovian boldness and crispness of phrase.” Her stories have appeared in n+1, Electric Literature, The American Reader, Fence and Guernica. UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, were acquired from Peter Strauss at RCW.

The third book, Marlow’s Landing by Toby Vieira, will publish on 28th July, priced £12.99. It is described to be a novel of diamonds, deceit and a trip-up river in a world of smugglers and jungle madness. Vieira was born in New Delhi and now lives in Belgium. Having worked for a number of years with the rough diamond industry, he now works on humanitarian issues for a large international organisation. World rights were bought from Nemonie Craven at Jonathan Clowes Ltd.

Each book will be priced £10.99. The books' covers are designed by Harriet Sleigh, who designed the inaugural 2015 JM Original covers after winning an open competition.