Category: In the Media

Agency author Henry R. Schlesinger (Honey Trapped: Sex, Betrayal & Weaponised Love) was interviewed on BBC Radio 4 for Broadcasting House, the Sunday morning news magazine programme with Paddy O’Connell.

The sequence on Honey traps is around 29 mins in, an old espionage tactic, in the news with a senior Conservative MP admitting his involvement in a honey trap.

He was also interviewed on the Spy Talk podcast.

Not to be outdone, Mary Novakovich (My Family and Other Enemies) appeared on BBC Radio 4’s From Our Own Correspondent at 17:59.

Rab Island off the north coast of Croatia was once home to a lesser-known Italian concentration camp, where some 4,000 people were killed during World War Two. Mary Novakovich visited the island, where she met a woman who began her life in one of the camps.

She was also shortlisted in the TravMedia Awards for the specialist travel writer of the year. The awards are on April 22nd, so fingers crossed!

Staying on the Croatian theme, fellow travel writer Daniel Stables explored the rich cultural landscape of Istria for the May edition of National Geographic Traveller.

Continuing on the travel road, agency author Shafik Meghji (Crossed Off the Map: Travels in Bolivia) contributed to DK Eyewitness’ new Unforgettable Journeys The Americas, out now from about remarkable trips by train, road, bike & water, including travelling down Bolivia’s ‘death road’ & riding the southernmost railway on Earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And further congratulations to Shafik for winning an Inspire Global Award for his Evening Standard piece on Indigenous tourism.

A bumper edition of agency authors in the media to start 2024.

Henry R. Schlesinger (Honey Trapped) wrote for AirMail magazine in the New Year’s Eve edition about Prince Serge Oblensky, the a nightlife-and-hospitality impresario, who seemed to know everyone and be everywhere, could always be found among the boldface names. His marriage into the Astor clan lasted nearly a decade and ended without apparent rancor or loss of employment. When the St. Regis hotel landed back under Astor control, in 1935, Obolensky was put in charge of its remodeling and relaunch, and it was here that Obolensky’s knack for creating fashionable scenes blossomed.

Henry also appeared on Carl Rollyson’s podcast, to discuss the ever-popular honey trap.

Uruguayan poet, narrator, and essayist Roberto Echavarren was interviewed for No Country Magazine about his latest book – Russian Nights: Autocracy and Testimony (Vernon Press, 2023), in which Echavarren reconstructs, through a mosaic of heartbreaking testimonies, a panoramic view of the terror lived under Lenin and Stalin. These testimonies, collected between 2001 and 2005, lend a voice to the experience of survivors during four decades of Soviet terror (1917-1956), from the moment Lenin took power to the Second World War.

He also discussed Verde escarabajo, a book that brings together poems from the last 20 years for Brecha.

Shafik Meghji’s story on Tierra del Fuego appeared in the BBC’s favourite travel stories of 2023. Barely 1,000km north of Antarctica and home to just two people, Caleta Eugenia is the southernmost point to which you can drive in Chile.

“This journey to ‘the end of the world’ wraps elements of adventure, isolation, environmentalism and Indigenous rights into a stunning narrative while revealing a side of the globe few people will ever see.” – Eliot Stein. Read the story here.

Nick Breeze wrote an article in the Drinks Business Magazine reporting on what links COP28 to wine production, both emissions and resilience. Nick’s debut book – COPOUT: How governments have failed the people on climate – is published by Ad Lib on 14th March 2024 (paperback RRP £9.99) Pre-order here now or via any bookshop.

Last, but never least, Seth Thevoz (Behind Closed Doors) was quoted in The Guardian about the ever-slow moving campaign to force the Garrick Club, one of London’s last remaining gentlemen’s clubs, to admit women with an internal poll revealing that a majority of members are in favour of dropping the men-only rule.

 

A round-up of the latest agency author news this month.

Congratulations to Neil Robinson, who made the Spectator’s Best Books 2023 list! His novel The Other Side of Trust (Burning Chair, 2022), was described as ‘a gripping spy thriller of a pace and subtlety with which John le Carré might not have been disappointed.’

For the 30th anniversary issue of Wanderlust magazine, Shafik Meghji wrote about Chile’s capital Santiago & the nearby port of Valparaíso, dynamic cities with turbulent histories, vivid street art, atmospheric funiculars & strong poetic connections.

Former ANC spy, Sue Dobson, was interviewed by Radio Liskeard about her book Burned: The Spy South Africa Never Caught (Vine Leaves Press, 2023). In a frank and revealing interview Sue (aka Deana) talks about her infiltration of government departments, Military and Espionage Training in the Soviet Union and her escape from the pursuit of would-be prosecutors when her identity as an agent of the banned ANC was discovered. Having sought political asylum in the UK Sue’s life became a media circus and she was afforded the security of the Royal Protection Squad in light of the inevitable threat to her life.

How is she regarded in her native South Africa…. Traitor or Hero? Listen back here.

And finally, congratulations to Mary Novakovich at the British Guild of Travel Writers Awards in November, in which took the prize for travel narrative book of the year for My Family and Other Enemies: Life and Travels in Croatia’s Hinterland (Bradt, 2022). She picked her award at the glitzy Annual Gala Awards Dinner held at the Middle Temple Hall in London.

 

It’s the dog days of summer, but Mary Novakovich was interviewed by online British Serbian magazine Britić about her travelogue My Family and Other Enemies: Life and Travels in Croatia’s Hinterland.

August 18th marked the first anniversary of its publication.

“I had too strong a story to turn it into a just another glossy travelogue. I felt I had a responsibility to turn this very complicated history into something that would enlighten readers and not mislead them… I’ve had readers tell me how much it had helped their understanding of Balkan history.”

Elsewhere, Position Papers reviewed God in Number 10: The Personal Faith of the Prime Ministers, from Balfour to Blair by Mark Vickers.

“Mark Vickers has produced a magnus opus which shows the extent to which Prime Ministers ‘have done God’ and how the Christian faith shaped political thinking during the 20^th Century.”

Robert Sellers’ new book, When the British Musical Ruled the World was published in the UK on August 1st.

In this revealing behind-the-scenes narrative, journalist and author Robert Sellers gives a definitive account of how Evita, Cats, Starlight Express, Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Chess, and Miss Saigon changed the business of musical theater in the 1980s. These mega productions of the were larger than life, colorful, and spectacular. Sellers collects insightful, personal stories from cast members, set designers, musical supervisors, dancers, lighting designers, production managers, singers, and choreographers from the shows that finally put Broadway on its back foot.

He also describes the backstage drama, production nightmares, and financial woes that threatened to derail the shows at multiple points. Whatever obstacles they faced, though, these productions swept the world and transformed the face of musical theater in ways that still resound today.

Andrew Jeffrey appeared in a 2-part edition of True Spies by Spyscape. A Scottish hairdresser, a wannabe actor/stunt pilot, and a Nazi spy ring spanning both sides of the Atlantic. Could be a movie?

In the 1930s, a resurgent Germany was determined to steal Allied secrets to gain an advantage in the coming war. Through a series of improbable twists, turns, and intelligence coups, MI5 and the FBI were able to target and eliminate a spy network that posed a very real threat to the Free World. His book, A TASTE FOR TREASON is out now.

Michael Smith wrote an article for Aspects of History and was also interviewed on the Spybrary podcast. Drawing on his personal experience in British military intelligence, Michael Smith provides a behind-the-scenes look at the close collaboration and alignment of intelligence that drives decision-making between the UK and the US. The episode delves into various anecdotes and stories, including the recovery of a Soviet jet from a lake in West Berlin. His book THE REAL SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP is out now in the US.

Sarah-Louise Miller appeared on the BBC History Extra podcast, delving into the roles played by the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during WW2, from courageous secret agents to the unflappable women behind the Dambusters raid. Her book THE WOMEN BEHIND THE FEW is out now.

Robert Sellers‘ new book WHEN THE BRITISH MUSICAL RULED THE WORLD, was included in Playbill’s theatre books round up for June. In a comprehensive look across the pond, this new release explains how British musicals initially struggled to compete with Broadway productions, until Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita revitalized the West End. With additional looks at blockbusters like Cats, Les Misérables, and Miss Saigon, the book shares stories from cast and crew members, obstacles that almost derailed productions, and more. It was published in the US on June 1st and available in the UK from August 1st.

This month, it’s for God, Club and Country.

Seth Thevoz is quoted extensively in an article for The Telegraph, about the recent news that Pratt’s Club will be admitting women. While not the end of civilisation as we know it, an interesting debate about shifting sensibilities in Clubland.

“It’s embarrassing, in this day and age to admit you belong to a men-only club. You have to admit to work colleagues you can’t take colleagues to White’s [where women are not even allowed past the door] for drinks, for example. So it isn’t just that clubs need to recruit women, it’s that they need to recruit men who aren’t embarrassed to say they belong to a men-only club.”

This then prompted German Television to run an interview segment for Tagesschau.

The Women Behind the Few by Sarah-Louise Miller was reviewed for The Past magazine.

‘The Women Behind the Few is a tribute to those who devoted their wartime years – and youth – to serving the nation and who overcame, as Miller puts it, ‘prejudice, endured social ostracism and sexism on a daily basis and [who] smashed stereotypes with a clear ability to do what was required but not expected of them’. Well said. This book is a great read, and I highly commend it.’

Sue Dobson appeared in a two-part episode on the podcast Cold War Conversations. She talks about her childhood and what life was like under apartheid, her journey to joining the African National Congress, her recruitment into the armed wing, and her training in the Soviet Union.

Her remarkable story can be found in her memoir Burned, out now.

Fr. Mark Vickers received a splendid review in the City Journal:

‘Well-researched, well-written and unflaggingly lively, Vickers’s book is a model of insightful biography. It is also witty, judicious, and tailor-made for that elusive customer, the general reader. […]

Vickers’s most striking achievement in God In Number 10 is to humanize his prime ministers by showing their struggles to find faith in an office demanding faith at every turn. That most of them failed to do so only underscores the dignity of the effort.

In God In Number 10, a brilliant biographer has recreated them with illuminating empathy.’

Finally, Henry R. Schlesinger’s Honey Trapped, was well reviewed in the New York Sun by Carl Rollyson, the biographer of a great spy-detector, Rebecca West.

‘You will learn some tradecraft, such as the “verbal parole”: an exchange in which, say, the expected answer to, “Haven’t we met in California last summer?” is, “No, I think it was the Hamptons.” Or the use of “signal sites” — in one instance pasting an upside-down postage stamp on a neighborhood map outside a Starbucks to indicate a passport had been delivered.

If you want to be even more up-to-date, check out the last part of Mr. Schlesinger’s book that deals with “cyber honey traps.” That online dating service you are using? Watch out. A number of Israeli soldiers have been fooled, and the consequences have not been sweet.’

Congratulations to Michael Smith who was long-listed for the CWA’s Gold Dagger for non-fiction for The Real Special Relationship (Simon & Schuster). Furthermore, the Henley-based writer will appear at this year’s Henley Literary Festival alongside Sir John Scarlett, former MI6 Chief, to discuss how UK and US politicians and secret services work together.

Sue Dobson’s explosive memoir Burned: The Spy South Africa Never Caught, continues to attract world-wide attention. The BBC World Service aired their two-part programme live, which can be listened back here.

The popular US podcast Spycraft101 also interviewed her here.

Sarah-Louise Miller appeared in the Aspects of History magazine featuring The Mobilisation of Women in Another World War. Her new book, The Women Behind the Few is out now.

She also wrote an article in issue 118 for the magazine History of War.

Finally, listen as Mary Novakovich shares her insider’s perspective on the best places for an authentic meal or an impromptu concert in Croatia for the Wanderlust Magazine podcast.

Spies and secrecy are the theme for April.

Sarah-Louise Miller celebrated the publication of her new book THE WOMEN BEHIND THE FEW (Biteback) in a media blitz, appearing on the popular We Have Ways of Making You Talk podcast with Al Murray and James Holland.

The Daily Mail ran an article about the WAAF. Dr. Miller, tells how members of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) overcame prejudice and smashed stereotypes. RAF chiefs initially feared women were too gossipy and prone to hysterics for vital military work in the Second World War.

She also wrote an exclusive article for the Daily Express below.

She also appeared with Professor Alice Roberts for a brand new documentary series on Channel 4 called Fortress Britain. She can be seen in episode 2.

You can catch up with History Hit Podcast with Dan Snow too here.

In the run up to publication of BURNED (Vine Leaves Press) on May 16, Sue Dobson was interviewed for a two-part BBC World Service broadcast called Lives Less Ordinary, entitled ‘The Spy who Wanted to bring down Apartheid.’

Sue Dobson was a white South African who risked her life as an ANC secret agent.

This can be listened on catch-up here. It will broadcast on the BBC World Service in May.

Lucy Hooft’s sequel to THE KING’S PAWN – HEAD OF THE SNAKE (Burning Chair) – was published on March 30th and was included in the Financial Times’ thriller roundup by fellow spy writer Adam LeBor, describing her ‘fine eye for detail‘ in a story that ‘moves seamlessly‘.

Holly Watt, journalist, crime writer and winner of the 2019 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, said, ‘It’s so exciting to see a powerful female character like Sarah Black emerging. A fast-paced espionage thriller that feels fresh and exciting – and takes you to some shocking places. It will keep you up far too late!‘

Acclaimed veteran spy writer David Brierley’s return from the cold, DEAD MAN TELLING TALES (Safe House Books), received high praise as Mike Ripley’s Book of the Month in Shots Crime & Thriller eZine saying it was, ‘written with all the sly cynicism of the spy world, along with some wonderful descriptions of a country coming to terms with a changing present while living with memories of a cruel history, this is Brierley’s first novel in more than twenty years and an elegant reminder of what a fine writer he is.‘ An enjoyable conversation between Ripley and Brierley can be heard at the Spybrary website too.

It was also written up at Beyond the Books as ‘an absolute cracker of a book. The story is so skilfully woven together. I couldn’t put this book down from the very start. The research must have been immense. The authenticity of the story just placed me there, in Latvia.‘