S&S bags Temple's 'gorgeous' new novel

Simon & Schuster has landed The Slow Lane Walkers Club, a "heart-warming, uplifting" novel by author Rosa Temple.

The book follows Daniel who, after returning home to Cornwall following a decade abroad, forms a walking group hoping to make new friends. The publisher said: "He’s initially disappointed that the only person who shows up to the first walk is an 85-year-old woman in crocs. But what follows is a feel-good tale of unlikely friendship, community and learning to live life in the slow lane. According to the publisher,  it’s a novel perfect for fans of Clare Pooley, Hazel Prior, and Ruth Hogan."

The publisher bought world rights in all languages from Susan Yearwood Agency, and will publish in paperback in May 2022.

Molly Crawford, commissioning editor, said: "I’m over the moon that S&S are publishing Rosa’s wonderful novel. As soon as I read The Slow Lane Walkers Club it was clear that Rosa had created a whole cast of characters readers will find impossible to forget. It’s a gorgeous, warm and uplifting story about friendship, community, and the joy of walking; as well as being an incredibly exciting addition to our 2022 list."

Temple is the pseudonym of published author, Fran Clark. To date, Fran has penned and self-published three publications as Rosa Temple; Sleeping With Your Best Friend, Natalie’s Getting Married and Single by Christmas. HQ Digital has published three books under her pseudonym, including Playing by the Rules, Playing Her Cards Right and Playing for Keeps.

Commenting on the acquisition, she said: "I am so thrilled to be working with the wonderful team at Simon & Schuster UK on The Slow Lane Walkers Club. I love to create characters with whom readers can relate and to delve into relatable themes such as love, friendship, and family. I always aim to write stories that are uplifting and full of heart – which are exactly the novels I love. I hope readers will be carried along with Daniel and Hazel’s unlikely friendship, to laugh and cry when they enter the characters’ world."

Yearwood added: "I have always enjoyed reading Fran’s novels under her guise as Rosa Temple, and I am so pleased to represent her for The Slow Lane Walkers Club, a wonderful multigenerational story of love and kindness. Fran is great at writing about love and happiness, and all the relatable themes therein. She has created beautifully crafted characters and I look forward to seeing her book in print in 2022."