Ian Fleming's iconic character James Bond, is unarguably one of the most popular fictional spies in the world. While the first Bond novel was published in 1953, new stories and books about him are being written even now taking precedence over Ian Fleming's legacy. And now, in an interesting development, author Kim Sherwood has been scooped by HarperCollins to write a new James Bond trilogy, which makes her the first woman writer to ever write a Bond novel!
'The deal was negotiated by Kathryn Cheshire in the UK and David Highfill at William Morrow in the US, with Jonny Geller and Viola Hayden of Curtis Brown, on behalf of Ian Fleming Publications Limited. Sherwood is represented by Susan Armstrong at C&W Agency,' reads a report by The Bookseller.
"I was soon hooked on Ian Fleming’s novels. As a teenager, I chose Fleming when my English teacher asked us to write about an author we admired—I still have the school report. Since then, I’ve dreamt of writing James Bond. It’s rare that dreams come true, and I am grateful to the Fleming family for this incredible opportunity," Sherwood said about the development.
Some of the previous writers who have continued Fleming's legacy of 14 original Bond novels include authors Kingsley Amis and Anthony Horowitz. While these previous novels written for the franchise featured James Bond as a prominent character, in Sherwood's 007 novel James Bond is missing! Instead, new Double-0 agents have been recruited to fight against a global threat. "I feel honoured to be the first novelist to expand the Bond universe through the Double O sector, bringing new life to old favourites, and fresh characters to the canon. I couldn’t be more excited to introduce the world to my Double O agents,” Sherwood further added.
Kim Sherwood, 32, currently works at the University of the West of England as a Senior Lecturer, and she teaches prisoners. Her debut novel 'Testament' won the Bath Novel Award in 2016.
While Kim Sherwood's James Bond trilogy is untitled at the moment. The first book from the trilogy is expected to be released in September 2022.
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