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Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
The audacious moment that changed this debut author's life
It's the ultimate aspiring novelist's fantasy: a finished manuscript languishes in a desk drawer for years before its author decides, what the hell, I'll give it a crack, sending it out to an agent – and within weeks the book is snapped up, even fought over by different publishers. If it had happened in a film, you might scoff. But New Zealander Jennifer Trevelyan is living this very dream. Trevelyan had written several novels, and stuck them all in a drawer while working in other jobs. But eventually, she decided to try her luck with her favourite one. Incredibly, it was not only bought by one of the world's most renowned agents, it became the centre of an international bidding war, and was optioned for a film adaptation before it was even printed. The 50-year-old started writing the atmospheric A Beautiful Family, part-thriller and part coming-of-age story, a decade ago, fitting in writing before work while her husband and kids slept, sneaking off to a cafe where she would write before heading to her real job. Trevelyan agrees her overnight success is a fantasy scenario, although 'perhaps not the 10 years part', she says over Zoom from her home in Wellington. A former wedding photographer, Trevelyan also worked in children's publishing, but it wasn't until she completed a master's of creative writing at Wellington's Victoria University that she decided to revisit her manuscripts. The draft for what became A Beautiful Family was, she says, the favourite of the pile she's stashed away. 'I couldn't face reading it again,' she says, 'but I knew it was the best thing I had done. I had got to this point where I was just going around and not necessarily improving it. I was just sick of the sight of it. So I thought I would take a step back, a little bit.' Then she stepped back a lot. 'I intended to put in the drawer for maybe three months, and it's somehow turned into three years.' Perhaps things might not have panned out the same way had she not waited. When she decided to try her luck with it, she audaciously sent it to one of the world's most famous literary agents. Felicity Blunt, who works at Curtis Brown in London, is arguably one of the world's most respected literary agents, with a stable of clients that includes Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan, Ann Patchett and Jilly Cooper. Blunt is also the sister of actor Emily Blunt, and is also married to actor Stanley Tucci. Did Trevelyan just reach a point where she thought, why the hell not? 'Absolutely! But also, I don't think I quite realised how clever she was,' she says. 'I knew she had these movie star connections, but I hadn't actually looked at her list and I didn't realise the calibre of some of the people that she represents. I think if I'd known that, I might have been a bit intimidated.' Blunt had described online what she was looking for in prospective manuscripts, and Trevelyan thought that sounded like the book she'd squirrelled away. 'She was talking about being transported to another place on the other side of the world, and she said she loved Daphne du Maurier - and I love Daphne du Maurier, so I thought, why not?' Why not indeed. Blunt snapped up A Beautiful Family and there was promptly a bidding war. It was, Trevelyan says, 'mind-blowing'. Blunt told her to prepare herself for interviews with interested publishers, and Trevelyan worried about what they would ask her, how she should research for these – only to be told that it was she who would be doing the 'interviewing'. 'I sort of freaked out at every step! I think being suddenly put on to the stage and being given the main role in your dream production ... I just got stage fright, I think.' Told from the perspective of 10-year-old Alix, A Beautiful Family takes place in 1985, over the course of a summer holiday on the Kapiti coast on New Zealand's north island. Alix is at a rented beach house with her family, but both her parents are unusually distracted and her sister Vanessa, now 15, no longer wants to go to the beach with her; she's more interested in partying with older teens and meeting boys. Then Alix meets Kahu, a boy her own age who tells her about the mystery of a young girl who went missing from the area a couple of years earlier, and whose body has never been found. Their search for the girl's body gives the pair a focus for the long summer days, between swimming and lying on the beach. It also takes Alix's mind off what's going on at home – she's not oblivious to the arguments and silences between her parents. And then there's the creepy man in the beach house behind them. Trevelyan drew on memories of her own childhood holidays along the same coastline. 'We had big extended family holidays, and it was running around with my cousins,' she says. And one year, there was even a weird man next door. 'We had a summer where my father booked a very basic beach house and while we still had a great time, it had a sort of slightly funny vibe,' she says. 'I loved it, but there was a house next door that sort of overlooked our one. And there was a man staying there, who was quite creepy.' That became her starting point. 'He wasn't creepy towards me, but he was towards the older women,' she says. 'He'd be … watching the older women.' To say much more about the book's creepy character would give away the story's plot. Trevelyan initially wrote the book from an adult's perspective looking back, but using a 10-year-old's voice offered a different point of view, and way into the story. Loading 'It did pose some problems – there are some restrictions on areas you can't really go into. For example, I knew I couldn't have a complicated police investigation,' she says. 'But it also created this bubble of just this holiday. And I was trying to capture that thing when you're an adult, and you look back on your childhood, and you … don't know if your memories are true or if you've made them up.' Imbued with 1980s nostalgia – Walkmans, Split Enz, the type of mobile phone-free childhood boredom that simply doesn't exist any more – and an evocative sense of place, it's not surprising A Beautiful Family was optioned for a film. New Zealand filmmakers Niki Caro (Whale Rider) and Finola Dwyer (Brooklyn) are on board to adapt the novel. Trevelyan is thrilled, and happy the story won't be transplanted into an American setting. 'The setting was super important to me. I'm so excited to see it.' She's already working on her next novel, and can now call herself a full-time author, thankful she doesn't have to go back to photographing weddings, a gig she fell into after studying photography. 'I was a bit shy and couldn't really see it panning out, but deep down, I really did want to be a writer.'
The Age
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
The audacious moment that changed this debut author's life
It's the ultimate aspiring novelist's fantasy: a finished manuscript languishes in a desk drawer for years before its author decides, what the hell, I'll give it a crack, sending it out to an agent – and within weeks the book is snapped up, even fought over by different publishers. If it had happened in a film, you might scoff. But New Zealander Jennifer Trevelyan is living this very dream. Trevelyan had written several novels, and stuck them all in a drawer while working in other jobs. But eventually, she decided to try her luck with her favourite one. Incredibly, it was not only bought by one of the world's most renowned agents, it became the centre of an international bidding war, and was optioned for a film adaptation before it was even printed. The 50-year-old started writing the atmospheric A Beautiful Family, part-thriller and part coming-of-age story, a decade ago, fitting in writing before work while her husband and kids slept, sneaking off to a cafe where she would write before heading to her real job. Trevelyan agrees her overnight success is a fantasy scenario, although 'perhaps not the 10 years part', she says over Zoom from her home in Wellington. A former wedding photographer, Trevelyan also worked in children's publishing, but it wasn't until she completed a master's of creative writing at Wellington's Victoria University that she decided to revisit her manuscripts. The draft for what became A Beautiful Family was, she says, the favourite of the pile she's stashed away. 'I couldn't face reading it again,' she says, 'but I knew it was the best thing I had done. I had got to this point where I was just going around and not necessarily improving it. I was just sick of the sight of it. So I thought I would take a step back, a little bit.' Then she stepped back a lot. 'I intended to put in the drawer for maybe three months, and it's somehow turned into three years.' Perhaps things might not have panned out the same way had she not waited. When she decided to try her luck with it, she audaciously sent it to one of the world's most famous literary agents. Felicity Blunt, who works at Curtis Brown in London, is arguably one of the world's most respected literary agents, with a stable of clients that includes Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan, Ann Patchett and Jilly Cooper. Blunt is also the sister of actor Emily Blunt, and is also married to actor Stanley Tucci. Did Trevelyan just reach a point where she thought, why the hell not? 'Absolutely! But also, I don't think I quite realised how clever she was,' she says. 'I knew she had these movie star connections, but I hadn't actually looked at her list and I didn't realise the calibre of some of the people that she represents. I think if I'd known that, I might have been a bit intimidated.' Blunt had described online what she was looking for in prospective manuscripts, and Trevelyan thought that sounded like the book she'd squirrelled away. 'She was talking about being transported to another place on the other side of the world, and she said she loved Daphne du Maurier - and I love Daphne du Maurier, so I thought, why not?' Why not indeed. Blunt snapped up A Beautiful Family and there was promptly a bidding war. It was, Trevelyan says, 'mind-blowing'. Blunt told her to prepare herself for interviews with interested publishers, and Trevelyan worried about what they would ask her, how she should research for these – only to be told that it was she who would be doing the 'interviewing'. 'I sort of freaked out at every step! I think being suddenly put on to the stage and being given the main role in your dream production ... I just got stage fright, I think.' Told from the perspective of 10-year-old Alix, A Beautiful Family takes place in 1985, over the course of a summer holiday on the Kapiti coast on New Zealand's north island. Alix is at a rented beach house with her family, but both her parents are unusually distracted and her sister Vanessa, now 15, no longer wants to go to the beach with her; she's more interested in partying with older teens and meeting boys. Then Alix meets Kahu, a boy her own age who tells her about the mystery of a young girl who went missing from the area a couple of years earlier, and whose body has never been found. Their search for the girl's body gives the pair a focus for the long summer days, between swimming and lying on the beach. It also takes Alix's mind off what's going on at home – she's not oblivious to the arguments and silences between her parents. And then there's the creepy man in the beach house behind them. Trevelyan drew on memories of her own childhood holidays along the same coastline. 'We had big extended family holidays, and it was running around with my cousins,' she says. And one year, there was even a weird man next door. 'We had a summer where my father booked a very basic beach house and while we still had a great time, it had a sort of slightly funny vibe,' she says. 'I loved it, but there was a house next door that sort of overlooked our one. And there was a man staying there, who was quite creepy.' That became her starting point. 'He wasn't creepy towards me, but he was towards the older women,' she says. 'He'd be … watching the older women.' To say much more about the book's creepy character would give away the story's plot. Trevelyan initially wrote the book from an adult's perspective looking back, but using a 10-year-old's voice offered a different point of view, and way into the story. Loading 'It did pose some problems – there are some restrictions on areas you can't really go into. For example, I knew I couldn't have a complicated police investigation,' she says. 'But it also created this bubble of just this holiday. And I was trying to capture that thing when you're an adult, and you look back on your childhood, and you … don't know if your memories are true or if you've made them up.' Imbued with 1980s nostalgia – Walkmans, Split Enz, the type of mobile phone-free childhood boredom that simply doesn't exist any more – and an evocative sense of place, it's not surprising A Beautiful Family was optioned for a film. New Zealand filmmakers Niki Caro (Whale Rider) and Finola Dwyer (Brooklyn) are on board to adapt the novel. Trevelyan is thrilled, and happy the story won't be transplanted into an American setting. 'The setting was super important to me. I'm so excited to see it.' She's already working on her next novel, and can now call herself a full-time author, thankful she doesn't have to go back to photographing weddings, a gig she fell into after studying photography. 'I was a bit shy and couldn't really see it panning out, but deep down, I really did want to be a writer.'
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Separatism strong among majority of Tory backers in Manitoba
Prairie separatism, once seen as exclusive to Alberta and Saskatchewan, is growing in Manitoba, according to a new poll. The majority of federal and provincial Conservative supporters in Manitoba would likely vote to leave Canada, says the Probe Research poll commissioned by the Winnipeg Free Press. The June 2025 omnibus survey — based on a random and representative sample of 1,000 Manitoba adults —found that 52 per cent of provincial Progressive Conservatives and 56 per cent of federal Conservative voters say they'd definitely or probably vote to leave in a referendum on independence in Manitoba. Overall, about one in four Manitobans shares this feeling, though support for separatism is almost negligible among NDP and Liberal voters and strongest regionally among rural voters. 'There's a pretty profound streak of alienation and discontent that runs through this,' said Curtis Brown, the principal at Probe Research. 'But, I mean, we've certainly been living through really strange and uncertain times in the last six months and people's attitudes have shifted a lot.' The Probe survey suggests feelings of patriotism — while ebbing a little since March after U.S. President Trump imposed a fresh round of tariffs on Canada — still run high among most Manitobans. Sixty per cent of respondents said they feel more proud to be a Canadian today than they did at this time last year. In March, that degree of patriotism in the province was running at 77 per cent. Nearly 60 per cent also said they plan to make more of an effort to celebrate Canada Day. However, fewer conservatives are riding the patriotic swell: 29 per cent of federal Conservative voters in Manitoba say they feel prouder to be a Canadian today than they did at this time last year, while 86 per cent of federal Liberal voters and 78 per cent of federal NDP voters in the province express this sentiment. The poll also found that 51 per cent of federal Conservative voters in Manitoba say they're more likely to mark Canada Day in a bigger way, compared to 67 per of federal Liberal voters and 57 per cent of federal NDP voters. 'The existential moment seems to have passed in people's minds, the hard-core 'elbows up' sentiments, (there's) not the fervour of it,' Brown said. 'As people celebrate Canada Day, and they think about what Canada is all about and where they want to see it go — something's changed.' Kelly Saunders, a political studies professor at Brandon University, said she isn't surprised by the Probe survey. 'Western Canada has long felt that they were never fully equal partners in Confederation,' she said. 'Liberals have dominated federal politics in this country, and the Liberal base has always been in central Canada and the Maritimes. The distribution of seats in the House of Commons has always favoured the two biggest provinces, Ontario and Quebec,' she said. A December Free Press/Probe poll found Conservative Party of Canada's Pierre Poilievre polling above 50 per cent with Manitobans and a full 68 per cent of men in the province aged 18 to 35 supported the leader. Although the Tory loss to the Liberals in the April 28 federal election may fuel growing separatist sentiments among Manitoba conservatives, Saunders argued that cultural and economic forces, beyond the vagaries of electoral politics, are driving the shift. 'Western alienation is in our DNA as a country,' she said. 'Sometimes we see pressure points where all of a sudden these forces rise up again, but it's always been there.' A May 2025 poll found significant support for separatism in the two other Prairie provinces. According to the Angus Reid Institute, 36 per cent of Albertans support their province leaving Confederation – though that number shrinks to 19 per cent when it comes to the number who say they would 'definitely' vote to leave if a referendum were held. Meanwhile, 34 per cent of Saskatchewan voters support provincial separation with that number dropping to 15 per cent when it comes to 'definitely' voting to leave in a referendum. While neither Alberta Premier Danielle Smith nor Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe endorses separatism, both are strong advocates for greater provincial independence. Smith passed the Alberta Sovereignty Act in 2022 while Moe passed the Saskatchewan First Act in 2023, which technically empower their provinces to reject enforcement of many federal initiatives. While both Manitoba NDP Premier Wab Kinew, and former Tory premier Brian Pallister, have criticized western separatism, the province has recently shown some signs of greater western alignment. In May, Kinew joined Smith and Moe at the western premiers conference in Yellowknife, where they called for new economic corridors, encompassing highways, rail, pipelines, energy transmission and critical-mineral infrastructure. They also called for connecting West Coast ports to Hudson Bay to link Western Canada more directly to overseas markets. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. Conrad SweatmanReporter Conrad Sweatman is an arts reporter and feature writer. Before joining the Free Press full-time in 2024, he worked in the U.K. and Canadian cultural sectors, freelanced for outlets including The Walrus, VICE and Prairie Fire. Read more about Conrad. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UTA Appoints Darnell Strom to Lead London Office With Eye on Growth Into 'Major International Hub'
Global talent, entertainment, sports and advisory company United Talent Agency (UTA) has appointed partner Darnell Strom as its head of UTA's U.K. office in London. The executive has experience in politics, including past work with Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. At UTA, he has been a key player for its global strategy and has worked across business areas, representing such clients as Malala Yousafzai, Michaela Coel, Grace Wales Bonner, Jonathan Anderson, i-D Magazine, BBC/HBO hit Industry creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, Jon Batiste, Karlie Kloss, Jose Andres, Whitney Wolfe Herd, and Alexis Ohanian. Moving from L.A. to London, 'Strom will oversee UTA's extensive U.K. operation and continued expansion into key markets across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa,' the company said. The newly created role 'underscores UTA's ambition to evolve London into a major international hub for the company,' following its decision to open a new London office in 2023 after the acquisition of talent and literary powerhouse Curtis Brown, the ROOF Football Agency, and consultancy firm MediaLink. More from The Hollywood Reporter Shonda Rhimes to Receive Inaugural Edinburgh TV Festival Fellowship Jafar Panahi, Nader Saeivar Collaboration Among Film Projects in KVIFF Central Stage Showcase Shane Meadows Teams Up With 'Adolescence' Writer Jack Thorne for Feature Film Return 'Strom brings both extensive experience of working at UTA, alongside deep cross-disciplinary knowledge and a global network of client relationships spanning entertainment, fashion/luxury, sports, and media,' the firm said. 'His leadership will focus on strengthening integration and connectivity across UTA's European operations, unlocking new business opportunities, and driving growth throughout the region.' Said UTA CEO David Kramer: 'This marks an exciting new chapter for UTA. Darnell has long been a connector across departments, industries, and geographies. His deep relationships and creative vision make him uniquely suited to lead this next phase of our international expansion.' Strom said London is 'one of the most dynamic and creative markets in the world, and UTA has only scratched the surface of what's possible here.' He added: 'I'm honored to lead our next phase of growth working with the incredible team we have in London, to build a stronger and more connected UTA across London, Europe and beyond.' Strom joined UTA in 2019 and previously served as head of culture & commerce. In his new role, he will work closely with UTA's London teams across the firm's music, creators, brand marketing, comedy, production arts, and advisory services units. This will include close collaboration with Curtis Brown Group and ROOF Football Agency. Strom began his career in politics, non-profit work, and social entrepreneurship. He served as director of the chair's office at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He was then named the Florida Director of Operations for John Kerry's presidential campaign. In 2005, Strom served as deputy director of scheduling to former President Bill Clinton and was subsequently tasked with creating a program, the Clinton Foundation Millennium Network, which reflected Clinton's vision of engaging the next generation of leaders. Later, he served on President Barack Obama's White House Entertainment Council. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
Gulf Today
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
'The Day of The Jackal' author Frederick Forsyth dies aged 86
Prolific British thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, who instantly became a global bestselling author when his book "The Day of the Jackal" was published in 1971, died on Monday aged 86, his literary agents Curtis Brown said. Forsyth famously penned his most famous work about a fictional assassination attempt on French president Charles de Gaulle by right-wing extremists in just 35 days after falling on hard times. "The Jackal" went on to be made into a hit film starring Edward Fox as the assassin. A Netflix remake last year with Eddie Redmayne in the lead role was released last year. "We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers," his agent Jonathan Lloyd said. Forsyth died at home surrounded by his family following a brief illness, according to Curtis Brown. The former journalist and pilot wrote over 25 books including "The Odessa File" (1972) and "The Dogs of War" (1974) and sold over 75 million copies worldwide. Many of his novels were also turned into films. "Only a few weeks ago I sat with him as we watched a new and moving documentary of his life ... and was reminded of an extraordinary life, well lived," said Lloyd. "After serving as one of the youngest ever RAF pilots, he turned to journalism, using his gift for languages in German, French and Russian to become a foreign correspondent in Biafra (in Nigeria)," he said. 'Spectacular luck' "Appalled at what he saw and using his experience during a stint as a secret service agent, he wrote his first and perhaps most famous novel, 'The Day Of The Jackal'," he added. A sequel to "The Odessa File", entitled "Revenge Of Odessa", on which he worked with thriller writer Tony Kent, is due to be published in August, his publisher Bill Scott-Kerr said. "His journalistic background brought a rigour and a metronomic efficiency to his working practice and his nose for and understanding of a great story kept his novels both thrillingly contemporary and fresh," Scott-Kerr added. Forsyth attributed much of his success to "luck", recalling how a bullet narrowly missed him while he was covering the bloody Biafra civil war between 1967 and 1970. "I have had the most spectacular luck all through my life," he told The Times last November in an interview. "Right place, right time, right person, right contact, right promotion -- and even just turning my head away when that bullet went past," he said. Asked why he had decided to give up writing -- although he later went back to it -- he told AFP in 2016 he'd "run out of things to say". "I can't just sit at home and do a nice little romance from within my study, I have to go out and check out places like Modagishu, Guinea Bissau, both hellholes in different ways," he said. Forsyth had two sons by his first wife. His second wife, Sandy, died last year. Conservative MP David Davis paid tribute to his friend as a "fabulous wordsmith". He told Sky News that Forsyth "was a great believer in the old values -- he believed in honour and patriotism and courage and directness and straightforwardness, and a big defender of our armed forces". Agence France-Presse
