AUTHOR CELIA NERI JOINS JJLA
The latest client of the John Jarrold Literary Agency is Celia Neri. Since 2017 they have had six short stories published, in Apex Magazine, The Café Irreal, and Three Crows Magazine, among others. They are French, from a Mediterranean multicultural family, and live near the Italian border. Before becoming a teacher they studied Comparative Literature and Classical Humanities.
In their debut novel, THE LIE OF THE LAND, THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY meets THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS, with a story that focuses on friendship, borders, and the falsehoods we are taught. A woman’s quest to find her adoptive mother pits her against an organisation that can alter reality thanks to cartography.
Ode is a World Walker who can step into maps. When she finds one that depicts an impossible reality, she needs advice from Marena, the woman who raised her and who is herself a cartographer with the ability to manipulate worlds. But the older woman has vanished and no one else remembers her. In a race against a mysterious enemy, Ode will need to find Marena and enter with her in a universe that shouldn’t exist, or lose her freedom.
John Jarrold said ‘I was totally involved in story, character and writing from the first page. Celia’s concepts and settings here are wonderful, and their characters are beautifully written and ring true. Welcome to the agency!’