A mid-year update from yours truly

We’re halfway through the year, which seems like a good time to pause and reflect over the past six months.

To quote history’s most philosophical skiver: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Isaac and the Egg came out in paperback

Back in April, my debut novel Isaac and the Egg came out in paperback, something we celebrated by taking over the streets of Brighton with a ludicrous billboard and some very bright egg-themed clobber.

It’s been incredible seeing all the support for the paperback, from the bookshops who’ve championed it to the book clubs who’ve picked it to the Independent, who selected it as one of their best books of summer 2023.

I did a bunch of very cool events

To celebrate the paperback launch, we brought back #EggonTour for a number of events up and down the country.

First, I appeared at Faversham Literary Festival on a grief-themed panel with fellow authors Ayanna Lloyd Banwo and Louisa Young. Then I was up in Manchester, sharing an event with the legendary Joanna Cannon.

I had a great time talking to a bafflingly large audience at the Grove Theatre in Eastbourne, then headed up to Abingdon for a Q&A with long-time Egg-heads Mostly Books. Finally, it was over to David Lloyd Luton to meet with their book club.

This was on home turf, and they definitely made me feel at home!

…including Tasting Notes LIVE

The highlight of my mini book tour was the last stop, Tasting Notes LIVE in Kenilworth, a book bloggers’ paradise which is the brilliant brainchild of ‘Book Taster’ Jenna.

Getting to go up on stage and live out my chat show fantasies was a genuine dream come true. Even better that so many people came, that the reception was so warm, and that I got to share a stage with authors like Nikki May, Jo Browning Wroe and Libby Page. Pinch me!

The Egg (or ‘Das Ei’) landed in Germany

I had a pretty surreal parcel arrive in the post yesterday – my own personal copy of Isaac und das Ei. The book is out now with Penguin in Germany, translated by Felix Mayer.

It looks pretty damn gut, if I do say so myself.

And some other super secret things happened

It’s not very fun of me to say, but I can’t tell you about some of the most exciting things which have happened in the first half of this year. But I can’t. So you’ll just have to wait and see.

Until I can tell you a little more about the big news, and some smaller-but-still-big bits of news, and a couple of incredibly cool events coming up, the two big things on the horizon are as follows…

Book Chat returns next month, with Pandora and I discussing Close Range by Annie Proulx and A Girl’s Story by Annie Ernaux. Do tune in.

Oh, yeah. And I have another book out in March. It’s called Small Hours, and I hope you’re going to love it. Available to pre-order now from Waterstones, Bookshop, Amazon and everywhere else.

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Some of the events I've got coming up

It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster since paperback publication, and it’s been so special to see how much everyone has been enjoying Isaac and the Egg.

In the time between Small Hours coming out next March (and the birth of my daughter between now and then…), I’m going to be doing a lot of Egg-themed events.

There’s more to be announced, but a whole load in the next few weeks, so I thought I’d outline them all here in case any fans of the book want to come down and say hi…

Eastbourne Library, BN21 – Wed 24th May

I’ll be chatting all things Isaac and the Egg, getting published and books in general at the Grove Theatre in Eastbourne with Eastbourne Library. Tickets here.

My last visit to Mostly Books last year

Mostly Books, OX14 – Thu 1st June

Mostly Books in Abingdon have been huge champions of Isaac and the Egg since it first came out, so I can’t wait to catch up with them for an event and signing on 1st June. Tickets here.

David Lloyd Book Club, LU1 – Fri 2nd June

I’ll be back on home turf to appear as the monthly book club choice for David Lloyd’s Luton branch. You’ll need to be a club member for this one, so sign up here.

A signing last September at Waterstones Witney

Tasting Notes Live, CV8 – Sat 3rd June

I’m so excited to take part in this day-long literary festival up in Kenilworth, run by the legendary Book Tasters and featuring brilliant authors like Jo Browning Wroe, Nikki May and Libby Page. Tickets are hard to come by, but if there are any left, they’ll be here.

Hopefully see you at one of the above. Until then, enjoy the sun.

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Small Hours, the new novel by Bobby Palmer

I’m so excited to announce the acquisition of Small Hours, my second novel, which will be published in spring 2024 by Headline, the publishers behind Isaac and the Egg.

Described by Headline as “vividly imaginative and intensely moving”, Small Hours follows Jack, a young man working in the city and estranged from his father, and what happens when he returns home to the country for the first time in years when his mother leaves with no word of explanation.

Told through three distinctive voices, it’s the story of a family in crisis and the ghosts of the past who still haunt them, of life-changing conversations in the early hours of the morning, and of a great love between two people whose time left together is running short.

Working on my first book with the whole team at Headline was an absolute joy, so I couldn’t be happier to be doing it all again. 

Small Hours is a book that has had me in its grasp for two years now, and one which I hope will take readers in some unexpected directions – with just enough of an offbeat feel to keep Isaac and the Egg fans happy.

You can find out more about it here, if you’re that way inclined. I’ve loved writing it, and I can’t wait to share more about it.

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Your new favourite podcast: Book Chat with Pandora and Bobby

If you like books, you might like this. Book Chat, the brand new podcast from the brilliant Pandora Sykes and I, launched today.

First, some context. Pandora and I met earlier this year when she interviewed me about my novel, Isaac and the Egg. We hit it off over a shared love of books, and were pretty soon exchanging long emails filled with reading recommendations.

So, we decided to start a podcast…

In every episode of Book Chat, Pandora and I each suggest a book we like. We read them. Then, as the title suggests, we chat. The idea is to open up that conversation, and to create a virtual book club where listeners can read along with us and share their thoughts, too.

Book Chat is all about slowdown reading, in that we’re not focusing on the most-hyped new releases. In fact, our one rule is that the books featured have to be more than two years old.

And it’s about slow podcasting, too: we’re only going to be releasing once a month, to give you time to digest each episode – and to read the books we’re talking about in the next one.

It’s a passion project for us, so we really hope you enjoy it. In our inaugural episode, we’re discussing Tin Man by Sarah Winman and Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin.

Please tune in on Apple or Spotify, and don’t forget to subscribe!

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Listen to my episode of BBC Radio 4's Open Book

There are a few things that, as an author, make you feel like you need to pinch yourself. Being invited on BBC Radio 4’s Open Book is one of those things.

The show has been running for decades, and is a real rite of passage. There’s no point listing the prominent authors who’ve been on it, because we’d be here all day.

That’s why, when I was asked to go on, I did just that – pinched myself. Then I said a very hearty ‘Yes’ and made my way to BBC Broadcasting House in London to record.

You can listen to the episode I’m featured in, which aired on Sunday 9th October, here. Hosted by the wonderful Octavia Bright, it’s a chat about grief, male friendship and modern masculinity between me and Michael Pedersen, author of Boy Friends.

You can catch our conversation at about 11:40 minutes in, right after an interview with Little Fires Everywhere author Celeste Ng.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I (clearly) did.

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Hello (and happy publication month)

As it’s only a matter of weeks until my debut novel Isaac and the Egg is actually out in actual bookshops, I thought I’d start posting on my site. Not only is this first post an excuse for me to wax lyrical about the fact that Isaac is out THIS MONTH, it’s also an introduction of sorts. 

So, hi. I don’t know what this blog will be, but I’ll endeavour to make it interesting and update it as often as I can. More on that later.

Preorder Isaac and the Egg

My book Isaac and the Egg comes out on the 18th August, and it would mean a lot to me if you preordered it. It’s about a young man who walks into the woods on one of the worst mornings of his life, and it’s been variably described by authors more impressive than myself as “beautiful”, “a future classic”, and “mad”.

Every preorder counts towards the first week of sales, so by ordering before the big day you’d be helping massively to give Isaac and the Egg the best possible start. You can order from your local indie bookshop, from Bookshop.org, from Waterstones, from Amazon, or wherever else you like to buy your books from.

Want to preorder and make my day? You’ll find all the right links here.

Listen to Isaac and the Egg

Of course, if you’d rather someone else do the reading, the audiobook of Isaac and the Egg is out even sooner. You’ll be able to download it in audio and e-book on the same day as it’s released in Australia, which is Tuesday 9th August.

If early access isn’t enough to convince you, the audiobook is read by none other than Johnny Flynn. As in, the multi-hyphenate folk singer, performer and actor who you might recognise as Mr Knightley in Emma, or Dylan in Lovesick, or the guy behind every single song I had on repeat while I was writing the actual book. Like this one.

Having Johnny on board has been a dream, and getting to watch him record in the studio a few months back was one of the biggest pinch-me moments of the whole publishing process.

I can’t wait for you to hear what he’s brought to Isaac, and to the egg. It’s astonishing, and it’s out next week. You can preorder it here.

Hear me talk to Pandora Sykes about Isaac and the Egg

Another massive pinch-me moment? The legendary Pandora Sykes choosing Isaac and the Egg as her August Book of the Month for her monthly book club, Pandora’s Books.

You can sign up to the book club for a signed early copy of Isaac and the Egg and access to an exclusive event with Pandora and myself later this month, in collaboration with FANE Productions. 

Interested? You can find all the necessary info here.

Order a very special edition of Isaac and the Egg

I’ve long been a fan of Goldsboro Books, so I was over the moon when I found out that they wanted to team up on a limited edition version of Isaac and the Egg. 

There are only 250 of these beauties being printed, and every single one of them will be a first edition, signed by me. If you want to make sure you get your hands on one, you can preorder yours here.

…Or strap in for what comes next

An Egg is for life, not just for August, so I’ll be filling this blog up with plenty more updates about the book and everything around it – from press, to podcast appearances, to upcoming events where you can ask me in person: “What came first, Isaac or the Egg?”

I’ll also endeavour to share what I’ve been reading, watching and listening to on a monthly (or, at least, somewhat regular) basis. And who knows? Maybe I’ll start sharing a little more about my writing process, or what I’m working on next. 

Until then, stay hydrated.

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