Day 5 of Eva Stachniak’s blog tour for her brilliant novel on Catherine the Great - The Winter Palace - and we can finally reveal the UK trailer.

Click here to see the trailer.

Everyone’s talking about The Winter Palace, descibed by The Daily Telegraph as ‘a wonderful novel, riven with intrigue and startling details, the sort to savour on a long winter evening’

To win one of two copies of The Winter Palace let us know:

What year Catherine the Great began her reign as Empress of Russia?

Just leave your comment below this blog and the two winners will be picked at random on Monday 30th January.

Best of luck!

We publish The Winter Palace tomorrow, the new historical novel on Catherine the Great from award winning author Eva Stachniak.

To mark this Eva will be embarking on a week long blog tour starting with an exclusive extract to be published on www.historytellers.co.uk

Here are the links where you can read exclusive blog posts, a rare competition, interviews and reviews.

 People are already enjoying the book such as Manda Scott, author of the Boudica trilogy:
“Fantastic, bold, colourful, assured and wonderful writing - and what a story! An outstanding book,
magical, beautiful with writing as crisp and fine and breathtaking as a Russian winter.”

and Kate Williams, author of England’s Mistress and Becoming Queen:
“A wonderful tale of the Imperial Russia court in all its glittering glory. Eva Stachniak vividly brings to life the early years of the meek young bride who would become the terrifying, fascinating Catherine the Great.”

For more information and to order your copy click here

We will be publishing an exciting new history title on 16th February called The Lost Kingdoms of Africa by well known curator and cultural historian Gus Casely-Hayford.

Accompanying the BBC4 TV series of the same name, The Lost Kingdoms of Africa will take you on a trip to explore the little known ancient history of this great continent. Gus discovered fascinating stories of complex and sophisticated civilisations and some of the richest and most vibrant histories in the world through travelling the equivalent of two circuits of the earth on African roads. Over two years Gus travelled right down its eastern spine, from the deserts of the North, to tropical forests and lakes of Central Africa, to the vast plains of South East, talking to African experts, interviewing the Kings,  Queens and chiefs of West Africa discovering the oldest histories and very latest thinking, teasing out the glorious story of this amazing continent.

However, tonight he’ll be tackling a challenge a little closer to home - The Great Sport Relief Bake Off on BBC2 at 8pm.

Gus will be competing with fellow celebrities; choreographer and dancer Arlene Phillips, Radio 4 presenter Fi Glover and Apprentice runner-up/TV presenter Saira Khan with both a technical and signature challenge. Who will sink and who will rise to win a place in the Great Sport Relief Bake Off final?

If you want to find out the recipe and how to make Gus’s Showstopper Challenge bake, visit The Lost Kingdoms of Africa Facebook page after the show where you can also see all updates on Gus, the book and the TV series.

The Sport Relief bakers: choreographer and dancer Arlene Phillips, Gus Casely-Hayford, Radio 4 presenter Fi Glover and Apprentice runner-up/TV presenter Saira Khan

Moscow, December 25, 1991: The Last Day Of The Soviet Union
By Conor O’Clery

A fascinating, dramatic account of the last day of the Soviet Union and the intense rivalry between Gorbachev and Yeltsin.

History always comes down to the details. When it comes to the fall of the Soviet Union the details are particularly crucial, especially when this era-defining event hinged on the bitter personal relationship between two powerful men, Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin.

Coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of the end of the Cold War, Conor O’Cleary has constructed a brilliant and compelling chronicle of one day in the history of one city, December 25 1991 Moscow, the date and setting of Gorbachev’s resignation and the dissolution of the USSR. Interwoven with the narrative of this crucial day O’Cleary explores the events of the previous six years: Gorbachev’s rise to power; the early years of glasnost and perestroika; Yeltsin’s ignominious fall and rise again to the top; the failed August coup by the hardliners; and the subsequent events that culminated in a secret meeting in a central European forest which ultimately sealed the fate of the communist monolith that was the USSR.

The result is an intricately detailed, thoroughly researched book based on interviews with many of the crucial figures in this drama of Shakespearean intensity, O’Cleary also utilises contemporary reportage, official documents and the memoirs and diaries of key political figures. Written at a breathtaking, dramatic pace, the book draws the reader in with its equal focus on both the historical and personal stories.

Moscow, December 25, 1991 is poised to become a defining book on the fall of the Soviet Union.

For more information or to request an interview with the author, please contact:
Elizabeth Swain / e.swain@transworld-publishers.co.uk / 020 8231 6738 / @EKSwain
‘The best Irish reporter of modern times.’
The Irish Times

‘Conor O’Clery has produced a dramatic reconstruction of the final years of the USSR, elegantly written, and with much pathos in places.’
Sunday Times

‘This is a superb account of one of the most dramatic historical processes of our time, rich in humour and humanity and replete with assured judgments. It can be warmly recommended to anyone interested in history and current affairs’
Irish Times

‘O’Clery’s book captivates you in such a way that reading it becomes a labour of addictive desire… O’Clery achieves that perfect balance between history, personal stories, facts and contexts that few historians ever strike. And he does so with seeming ease and a lightness of writing that makes this book not only a must-read for any history buff, but a delightful experience for every general audiences as well.’
Irish Mail on Sunday

‘O’Clery’s ability to keep tabs on a vast array of interchangeable apparatchiks is as impressive as his taut descriptions… O’Clery’s narrative line does not falter’
New Statesman

‘O’Clery holds a unique perspective on the last years of the Soviet Union and this wonderful account is riveting – part history less and part story, it’s a cracking read.’
The Sun

‘Conor O’Clery’s book is a tour de force. It tells the story of one of the most momentous days of recent history with insight, passion and precision. Full of new material and fascinating stories, it is a must read for anyone interested in the fate of democracy in the modern world.’
Martin Sixsmith

‘O’Clery’s account is satisfying neutral ‘
Spectator

‘Compelling narrative’
Current History Magazine

You may have read Andy Beckett’s piece about our ever-burgeoning culture of doom in the news, political commentary and even the arts, au contraire, I would like to offer another view, as illustrated in the world of contemporary fiction, that is all together more rosy, positive, even life-affirming.

As Andy Beckett’s piece clearly illustrates, the apocalypse industry is on the rise (the hows and whys lie in another article, but surely have something do with the rise in social media) – to this industry literature is the perfect antidote.

Really great fiction is not about the end of life, but the possibilities of life, not hope abandoned but hope restored.

They say that exposure to death makes you feel more alive, and certainly there are several fiction debuts coming up for Doubleday in 2012 that - far from telling us we are doomed - in fact intensify our zest for life.

The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman is set on a remote island in the 1920s, soon after the Great War. It carries archetypal Shakespearean themes of children lost and found, the de-centering of ourselves for love. Its surge of power and joy lies in its message that the world will keep turning without us, that the stars, shining for millennia, will still be burning, even if the euro does collapse and Obama is no longer at the helm. It is an example of a great novel that shows in every end there is a beginning.

Wonder by R J Palacio, a YA crossover novel that has emerged from quiet beginnings, is showing signs of blockbuster potential. Told in the voice of a young boy who has, due to a rare medical condition, a horrific facial disfigurement, this novel could not make you want to stay more on this earth, to fight the good fight against apocalyptic forces known and unknown, to go into Apocalypse Denial.

Faced with global economic collapse, and the threat of wars, fiction can present another chance. As Scarlett O’Hara said,’ Tomorrow is another day’. Humans are hardwired to look forward, some more optimistically than others. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce presents an elderly retired gentleman, whose old friend is dying of cancer in the North of England. Harold sets out on a walk from his hometown in Devon up through the countryside to her bedside in a hospice. He believes she will stay alive so long as he keeps walking. In essence, every small step by Harold is leading him to transformation. There is hope in his step. It may be relentless, but it is triumphant.

Literature presents us with possibilities for change, of moving forward to happier times. They are maps of unknown territories that give us clues as to new ways of understanding ourselves and others. Whatever the end of the world might bring, there will be other people to share it with. In Fahrenheit 451, there were only books left in memory form, they needed them to know how to carry on living. So allow a couple of triumphant individuals, as depicted in some thrilling upcoming fiction, to give us hope for a better tomorrow.

To read the original piece in the Guardian click here

Announced last night, at a gala awards dinner at Dublin’s RDS, Inside the Peloton by Nicholas Roche won the Best Sports Book of the Year at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2011. Now in its sixth year, the awards nevertheless saw some 33,000 members of the Irish reading public cast their votes for the favourite titles. For the first time, the awards ceremony was simultaneously filmed for broadcast on RTÉ 1, further establishing the IBAs as the premier event in Ireland’s publishing calendar.

The son of legendary Irish and World Champion Stephen Roche, Nicolas Roche’s rise up the ranks of professional cycling has been meteoric. Now a major contender for a podium finish in a grand tour, Nicolas tells his story of life in the peloton and of the remarkable events that have brought him this far with honesty, eloquence and passion.

To order your copy of Inside the Peloton click here

Yesterday afternoon Transworld joined with Vintage Patisserie to create a sumptuous vintage tea party at 93 Feet East on Brick Lane to celebrate our 2012 contemporary fiction list. The party was attended by Sophie Kinsella, Joanna Trollope, Kathy Lette, Sarra Manning, Jo Carnegie, Carmen Reid, Judy Astley, Tamar Cohen, Hallie Rubenhold and Louise Douglas.

Authors and media nibbled on cupcakes, scones and cucumber sandwiches and the conversation flowed as freely as the prosecco and jasmine tea (in vintage teacups, of course!). There was a resident hair and make-up person present and before long there were victory rolls and red lips everywhere…see above for a snapshot of the glamour!

Each party guest received a personalised goodie bag with a bespoke fiction catalogue, cupcake and other lovely treats to make sure that the Transworld tea party would be an event to remember.

Partygoers enjoying the Tea Party

Joanna Trollope in conversation

Bespoke Transworld cupcakes for the tea party

Forties inspired vintage hair and make up in action

The final result - our Transworld Blitz beauties