August - December 2024
Posted on 16th May 2016
This second half-year of 2024 I'll be writing two new books and a play.
1. 'Actually I'm a murderer' a murder-mystery will be published 12 June 2025 but I'll be starting the next title in the series, 'Actually I'm a corpse' in 2024. (Publication Summer 2026)These mystery thrillers for adults will be published by Constable and Robinson.
2. 'A history of Britain in ten enemies' will be published by Transworld for adult readers in 10 October 2024 while this year I work on a follow-up title 'Revolting People'.
3. 'Horrible Histories - Toilets' Published by Scholastic 10 October 2024
4. '13 Terrifying Tales' will be published by Pegasus 28 August 2024. Promotional events in planning.
5. A new play for the Christmas season 2025 will be written in 2024 for production in a noerth-east theatre. Based on legends of the region. More details later.
The following article appeared in 'The Bookseller' on 20 October 2023 and outlines a new direction for my publishing career.
Horrible Histories creator Deary pens story of Britain's past for Transworld
Editorial director Alex Christofi bought world all-languages rights in A History of Britain in Ten Enemies in an exclusive submission from Oli Munson at A M Heath. It will be published by the Bantam imprint in autumn 2024.
The publisher said that in the single-volume history of Britain, Deary will argue that nations and their leaders are defined by the enemies they make. Boudicca would be forgotten if it weren’t for the Romans, Elizabeth I a minor royal without the Spanish Armada, "Churchill an opposition windbag without Germany and Thatcher remembered mainly as a ’milk-snatcher’ if it weren’t for the Argentines. Britain and the British have a proud history of choosing their enemies; in fact, for centuries at a time, it’s been the only thing we can all agree on".
Deary’s Scholastic-published Horrible Histories series has shifted £33.8m through Nielsen BookScan UK, making him one of Britain’s biggest-selling non-fiction authors for children since records began. It has been published in more than 40 languages and adapted into both animated and live-action television shows.
Christofi said: “What a privilege, as one of countless people who owe their love of reading to the Horrible Histories, to be publishing Terry’s adult history as a grown-up. He is a wonderful storyteller and a brilliantly anti-establishment historian. A History of Britain in Ten Enemies will give him an opportunity to tell it like it is.”
Appearances
Promotional events and signings as follows:-
Thursday 1st August
17:30 York Georgian Festival
SEPTEMBER
Saturday 14th September
15:15 Chiswick Book Festival
St Michael & All Angels Church (Bath Road, Chiswick, W4 1TT)
Thursday 26th September
15:00 Chelsea History Festival
Melanie Marsh mmarsh@nam.ac.uk
National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 4HT
Saturday 28 September 2024
18:30 Monkwearmouth Academy
Torver Crescent, Sunderland
OCTOBER
Thursday 3rd October
18:30 Lanchester Community Centre
Lanchester, County Durham
Sunday 6th October
19:00 Warwick Words History Festival
Bridge House Theatre, Warwick School, Myton Road, Warwick CV34 6PP
Helen Meeke helen@helenmeeke.co.uk
Wednesday 9th October
TBC (TBC) BBC Breakfast interview – LIVE
Thursday 10th October
19:30 Oundle Festival of Literature
Rachel Bain hello@oundlefestivalofliterature.co.uk
A: St Peter’s Church, Church St, Oundle, Peterborough PE8 4EE
Saturday 12th October
17:00 Durham Book Festival
Gala Theatre Main House (500 Seats)
Helena Davidson <HelenaDavidson@newwritingnorth.com>
Monday 14th October
18:30 Waterstones Lincoln
Lincoln - Events - 606 Events.Lincoln@waterstones.com
297A High St, Lincoln LN2 1AF
Wednesday 16th October
19:30 Waterstones Newcastle
Gayle Murray Gayle.Murray@waterstones.com
AEmerson Chambers, Blackett St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7JF
Thursday 17th October
19:00 Waterstones Cardiff
Cardiff - Events - 056 Events.Cardiff@waterstones.com
2A The Hayes, Cardiff CF10 1WB
Saturday 19th October
13:00 [Waterstones York, Signing
York - Events - 876 Events.York@waterstones.com
15 Coney St, York YO1 9QL
Saturday 26th October
12:00 Waterstones Nottingham, Signing
Nottingham - Events - 352 Events.Nottingham@waterstones.com
NOVEMBER
Monday 11th November
18:30 British Museum
A: The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG
Monday 27th November
20:00 Archaeological & Historical Society (Via Zoom)
C: Mike Bryan mikeforestlodge@gmail.com
DECEMBER
Thursday 5th December
18:00 Waterstones Piccadilly Christmas Evening
Larissa Coates Larissa.Coates@Waterstones.com
e-books
- I have about 100 children's fiction titles that are now out of print. I have been working to convert some of them into e-books and make them available to a new generation of readers. In June 2013 I relaunched his fabulous "Tudor Chronicles" historical fiction series as Kindle downloads.