Firefly acquires 'fantastic' Elizabethan novel from Williams

Firefly has scooped Honesty and Lies, an "ambitious and accessible" historical novel by former Welsh Children’s Laureate Eloise Williams.

Penny Thomas, publisher at the children’s and YA press, obtained UK and Commonwealth rights from Kate Shaw at the Shaw Agency. The news was announced live during Firefly’s first bookseller preview evening on 25th January. The novel is publishing in paperback on 6th October 2022.

Set in London during the winter of 1601, the novel tells the story of Alice and Honesty, two 13-year-old maids serving in the court of Elizabeth I. "Both are trying to survive as storytellers in their own way – one wanting attention as a performer and one trying to pass unnoticed as a spy," the synopsis explains. "In such a precarious world and with assassination attempts being planned behind closed doors, their friendship will put both their lives in danger."

Editor Janet Thomas said Williams "has an amazing gift for creating characters middle-grade readers will bond with and love".

"I love how accessible and ambitious her writing is," she added, "her fantastic new book brings Elizabeth I’s court to life through two teenage maids, who both have to survive in a treacherous world with no family to protect them. The way they go from strangers to friends is unforgettable. I’m so excited we’re publishing Eloise again with this extraordinary story."

Williams commented: "I am delighted to be publishing another book with Firefly. My huge thanks to Janet Thomas and Kate Shaw for their cheerleading, expertise and belief in Honesty and Alice. I can’t wait for readers, young and old, to walk into this Elizabethan world."