Cynan Jones's Blog

This week, I'll be popping back and forth to The Next Best Book Club to take your questions on my second novel Everything I Found on the Beach, and wider questions on writing, if you have them.

Originally published in 2011, Everything hit the States this year, published by Coffee House Press.



Come along and join the discussion. We'd be happy to see you there.

Meanwhile, check out TNBBC's Everything I Found On the Beach giveaway.

Visit here for more details. I'll be answering questions from the group later in November.

On November 3rd, Granta release Cove, my next book. It's a striking, short piece about a man who is hit by lightning while out at sea in a kayak. Available to order now.

Following on from a quite humbling home reaction to THE DIG over the last year, Coffee House Press recently launched the novel Stateside.



I'll be in New York and Washington in early May for events.

The U.S. edition follows recently published translations in Spanish:



.. and German:

Alongside seven other books, THE DIG was chosen as one of this year's Jerwood Fiction Uncovered winners.

It's great company to be keeping, with writers including Naomi Wood, Gerard Woodward and Evie Wyld on the list. I'm looking forward to a summer reading through the fellow winners.

The prize is great timing, as Granta Books, working alongside Parthian, have reissued the backlist with stunning new covers from designer Jenny Griggs.

"Tense, tough and haunting" (Joe Dunthorne) and "winningly sparse" (Literary Review), The Dig tells the story of a farmer struggling through lambing time and his collision with a badger baiter.

Whenever I talk to reading groups, audiences, people are amazed how long it takes for a book to go from "being written" to the shelf of a shop.

Well. Not long to go. THE DIG is now available to pre-order, with an official publication date 16th January '14.

While you're waiting, I strongly suggest you read A MEAL IN WINTER - a quiet, resounding book I wish I could read again for the first time.

To coincide with Granta Magazine's 'Travel' issue, a letter from Wales.

At the beginning of June I looked over the final proof pages of "The Dig", the next novel.

This week the jacket proofs came in.

Official publication: January 16th, 2014.

Meanwhile, if you missed them, here's some links to short pieces.

Aberarth - a short story about erosion.

There are also appurtenant notes and sketches to the story here.

Milk - micro fiction in The Lampeter Review

Congratulations to Junot Diaz who won.

The six shortlisted stories can be read here: Six Shorts - The finalists for the 2013 Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award

A great experience and a great set of writers to be on the same list as.

On Sunday they announce the winner of the readers' vote.