ANGELA CLELAND JOINS JJLA
Angela Cleland has joined the John Jarrold Literary Agency. Her new historical fantasy novel is Black Doe, set north of Hadrian’s Wall in the 2nd Century AD.
A Black Doe assassin on the trail of a warlord is stabbed with her own weapon and crucified.
A mother with the blood of the Pictish founder god Cruithne hopes that her son may one day become the chieftain of the Fidach tribe.
For each the goal is clear, and for each the end uncertain.
Bloodshed, tragedy, and the supernatural abound.
Black Doe will sit comfortably on the fantasy-lover’s shelf alongside recent authors Anna Smith Spark and Anna Stephens – and with Adrian Tchaikovsky’s award-winning Echoes of the Fall series. Its historical side is scrupulously researched and would also appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction by authors such as Conn Iggulden and Christian Cameron – and readers of their recent fantasy novels.
Angela was born in Inverness and grew up in Dingwall by the Cromarty Firth. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Glasgow and an MA in Creative and Life Writing from Goldsmiths College. She is the author of three volumes of poetry (published by Templar Poetry and Salt Publishing) and one science-fiction novel, Sequela, which she self-published under the name “Cleland Smith”. Sequela went on to be awarded a Kirkus star and was named to the Kirkus Best Books of 2013. It was also listed in the BlueInk Review’s article “Ten must-read self-published science fiction novels”. She is mother to two young boys and an ageing cat called Loki, and currently lives in Surrey.
“What struck me first was the immediacy of Angela’s writing and the clarity of her characters and setting,” said John Jarrold. “As a huge fan of both fantasy and historical fiction I cannot put my hand on my heart and think of many better novels in the last thirty years that combine those genres so seamlessly.”