Firefly Press lands 'dream-like' novel from Zillah Bethell

Firefly Press has landed Vanishing Edge, a "dream-like" novel from Zillah Bethell. 

Publisher Penny Thomas acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Julia Churchill at A M Heath. The novel is slated for publication in March 2025 and is the first in a series of short novels inspired by life in contemporary Wales, supported by the Books Council of Wales. Other books in the series included titles from Emma Smith-Barton and Patience Agbabi. 

Set in Port Talbot, Vanishing Edge "pulses with the tidal pull and push of family ties and with dreams of escape". 

The synopsis reads: "One day Apricot Jones wakes up to graffiti on her front door, and a man in a black Jaguar who calls himself the Baglan Giant looking for her mum, Carys. Apricot and her best friend Charlie must find the secret that Carys is keeping and come to terms with the losses in their own lives while reaching out for new beginnings. But who is the boy waiting for Apricot in the speedboat beyond the breakers...?"

Thomas said: "Zillah Bethell has been one of my favourite writers for many years. Her writing is by turns fantastical, direct, elusive and joyous, and always pushes the boundaries. In this dreamlike portrayal of life for two teens in the steelwork’s town of Port Talbot, she manages to bring us a realism that isn’t gritty, humour, pathos and, as always, food for thought!"

Bethell added: "Under the steerage of Penny Thomas, Firefly is doing hugely exciting things in publishing which I’m super-honoured to be a part of."