Sceptre signs 'gorgeous and sophisticated' new novel by Tiepolo Blue author Cahill

Sceptre has signed James Cahill’s second novel following his debut Tiepolo Blue, entitled The Violet Hour.

Associate publisher Juliet Brooke acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, to the novel from Samuel Hodder at Blake Friedmann for publication in spring 2024. 

A sweeping psychological drama and satire of the international art world, the publisher describes The Violet Hour as a gripping and insightful glimpse into a maelstrom of glittering parties, titanic reputations and fatal rivalries. 

Its synopsis states: "A young man falls to his death from a tower block in London. Gradually, this apparently random tragedy is shown to be entwined with the lives, desires and regrets of the novel’s three protagonists as they grapple with their pasts and presents – and the ruthlessness of the international art world."

The launch of Tiepolo Blue on 9th June has been supported by an 18-month-long marketing and publicity campaign.  The debut was picked up early as one to watch by the Evening Standard, BBC.com and Dazed. Cahill has a full roster of public events lined up for the summer while Sceptre has run a Tiepolo Blue art competition, partnering with art courses, schools and galleries across the country to invite artists to create original artwork inspired by the themes and/or jacket design of Tiepolo Blue. The competition will be judged by internationally renowned artist Maggi Hambling and the author. The winner will receive a £500 cash prize and the chance to have their work exhibited in bookshop window displays. 

Cahill has worked in the art world and academia for 15 years, combining writing with a role at a leading contemporary art gallery. He is currently a research fellow in classics at King’s College London. His writing has been published in the Times Literary Supplement, Los Angeles Review of Books, London Review of Books and Burlington Magazine. 

He said: “I’m hugely excited to be publishing my second novel with Sceptre. The Violet Hour is a portrait of the contemporary art world – a world I’ve existed in for many years – but it’s also a story of loss, longing and redemption. I can’t wait for it to come to life as a book, and I’m looking forward to working again with Juliet Brooke, Charlotte Humphery and the whole team at Sceptre.

Humphery, senior commissioning editor at Sceptre, who is working with Brooke’s authors while Brooke is on parental leave, said: “Tiepolo Blue is a remarkable debut – confident, beautiful and thrilling to read – and we’re so excited to be publishing it this month. The Violet Hour confirms James Cahill as a vital voice in literary fiction – we’re thrilled to invest in his work. And I know that his new and future fans will love this gorgeous, sophisticated new novel.”