Lissa Evans – författare

Discover the heartwarmingly witty new historical novel about changing (sometimes reluctantly) with the times in the aftermath of WW2, perfect for fans of Maggie O'Farrell and Rachel Joyce.‘A deeply pleasurable postwar tale' Guardian'Generous, touching and romantic' Clare Chambers‘One of our finest writers of literary entertainment’ Spectator'Sometimes books that are this funny are easy to underestimate, but Small Bomb at Dimperley is wiser than a good many ponderously serious tomes. An absolute joy to read' The Times__________It's 1945, and Corporal Valentine Vere-Thissett, aged 23, is on his way home.But ‘home’ is Dimperley, built in the 1500s, vast and dilapidated, up to its eaves in debt and half-full of fly-blown taxidermy and dependent relatives, the latter clinging to a way of life that has gone forever.And worst of all - following the death of his heroic older brother - Valentine is now Sir Valentine, and is responsible for the whole bloody place. To Valentine, it’s a millstone; to Zena Baxter, who has never really had a home before being evacuated there with her small daughter, it’s a place of wonder and sentiment, somewhere that she can’t bear to leave.But Zena has been living with a secret, and the end of the war means she has to face a reckoning of her own…Funny, sharp and touching, Small Bomb at Dimperley is both a love story and a bittersweet portrait of an era of profound loss, and renewal.____________More praise for Small Bomb at Dimperley‘A future classic’ Woman&Home'This is Lissa Evans at the peak of her mighty powers' India Knight‘Brilliantly written, gloriously funny... a heart-warming read about learning to live again’ Sun'Incredibly assured and affecting... the perfect novel to be read in such dark times’ Graham Norton‘Perfectly pitched, funny tale, sprinkled with peppery observations and speckled with a poignant bitter-sweetness’ Daily Mail

A former militant from the Women's Suffrage Campaign looks at her middle age life in 1928 and commits herself to a new cause helping girls exercise their bodies and minds and fight fascism. Original. 25,000 first printing.

In 1940, every draft of every film script had to be approved by the Ministry of Information. Cast and crew were waiting to be called up at any moment, travel was restricted and filming was interrupted by regular bombing raids. And so it is that we find a disparate group of characters whose paths would never have crossed in peacetime: Ambrose Hilliard, a washed up old ham from the golden era of silent movies; Catrin Cole, formerly an advertising copywriter drafted in to 'write women' for the Ministry of Information; Edith Beadmore, a wardrobe assistant at Madame Tussauds; and Arthur Frith, peacetime catering manager turned wartime Special Military Advisor. This distinct group find themselves thrown together in the wilds of Norfolk to 'do their bit' on the latest propaganda film - a heart-warming tale of derring do, of two sisters who set out in a leaking old wooden boat to rescue the brave men trapped at Dunkirk. All completely fabricated, of course, but what does that matter when the nation's morale is at stake? Newly crowned actor, script-writer, costumier and military attaché must swallow their mutual distaste, ill-will and mistrust and unite for the common good, for King and country, and - in one case - for better or worse...

When Noel Bostock - aged ten, no family - is evacuated from London to escape the Blitz, he winds up in St Albans with Vera Sedge - thiry-six, drowning in debts. Always desperate for money, she's unscrupulous about how she gets it.The war's thrown up all manner of new opportunities but what Vee needs is a cool head and the ability to make a plan. On her own, she's a disaster. With Noel, she's a team.Together they cook up an idea. But there are plenty of other people making money out of the war and some of them are dangerous. Noel may have been moved to safety, but he isn't actually safe at all . . .Longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, 2015

Discover the heartwarmingly witty new historical novel about changing (sometimes reluctantly) with the times in the aftermath of WW2, perfect for fans of Maggie O'Farrell and Rachel Joyce.‘A deeply pleasurable postwar tale' Guardian'Generous, touching and romantic' Clare Chambers‘One of our finest writers of literary entertainment’ Spectator'Sometimes books that are this funny are easy to underestimate, but Small Bomb at Dimperley is wiser than a good many ponderously serious tomes. An absolute joy to read' The Times__________It's 1945, and Corporal Valentine Vere-Thissett, aged 23, is on his way home.But ‘home’ is Dimperley, built in the 1500s, vast and dilapidated, up to its eaves in debt and half-full of fly-blown taxidermy and dependent relatives, the latter clinging to a way of life that has gone forever.And worst of all - following the death of his heroic older brother - Valentine is now Sir Valentine, and is responsible for the whole bloody place. To Valentine, it’s a millstone; to Zena Baxter, who has never really had a home before being evacuated there with her small daughter, it’s a place of wonder and sentiment, somewhere that she can’t bear to leave.But Zena has been living with a secret, and the end of the war means she has to face a reckoning of her own…Funny, sharp and touching, Small Bomb at Dimperley is both a love story and a bittersweet portrait of an era of profound loss, and renewal.____________More praise for Small Bomb at Dimperley‘A future classic’ Woman&Home'This is Lissa Evans at the peak of her mighty powers' India Knight‘Brilliantly written, gloriously funny... a heart-warming read about learning to live again’ Sun'Incredibly assured and affecting... the perfect novel to be read in such dark times’ Graham Norton‘Perfectly pitched, funny tale, sprinkled with peppery observations and speckled with a poignant bitter-sweetness’ Daily Mail

A nostalgic, warm-hearted memoir from one of the producers of the cult-hit TV show Father Ted.'What a treat - it brought the whole experience flooding back. A feast for fans of the show or indeed anyone interested in the creative chaos of making television' Graham NortonThree decades after it first appeared on screen, Father Ted is still cherished, quoted and endlessly re-watched. Its beloved main characters, unforgettable lines and extraordinary visual jokes have given birth to a thousand gifs and t-shirts and a million catchphrases.Unforgettable to watch, it was also unforgettable to work on. Lissa Evans, as producer of the second and third series, spent three years hovering anxiously over every moment, from the first glimpse of script to the last revolution of a runaway milk-float round a specially-built plywood roundabout. There was no ‘average Father Ted episode’ – each of them was stuffed with challenges; endless rain, lustful rabbits, clerics crashing through windows, sheep doubles, collapsing crosses and a never-ending stream of eccentric priests – and the work that went into its creation was often nearly as bizarre as what was happening on screen.Picnic on Craggy Island is a hugely affectionate and anecdotal account of what lay behind some of those moments of comic genius – so pull on your kagoule, spread out your blanket, unwrap the sandwiches (they’re all egg) and enjoy the picnic…

I am fourteen years old and I’m called MacKenzie Bly. It’s a good name, isn’t it? Unfortunately, I just made it up, I’m actually called Philip Stephens which, if there was ever a competition for the world’s most boring name, would be a clear winner. ‘We didn’t want to call you something that would mean you’d get teased’ is what Mum B says.But given that I’m the size of a vending machine, hate sport, live with my Mums, one of whom teaches biology at my school, and don’t live with my Dad who plays air guitar, has ginger plaits down to his waist and writes random notes on Rizlas instead of using a diary, they might as well have called me ‘Fattus Butticus’ for all the difference it would have made….Oh, and my best friend Sy has just moved to New Zealand.Life is terrible.I hope you enjoy reading this.

'A book to be treasured and returned to again and again' The Independent'Funny, moving and utterly life-enhancing' Daily Mail___SHORTLISTED FOR HWA Crown Awards 2021It's late 1944. Hitler's rockets are slamming down on London with vicious regularity and it's the coldest winter in living memory. Allied victory is on its way, but it's bloody well dragging its feet.In a large house next to Hampstead Heath, Vee Sedge is just about scraping by, with a herd of lodgers to feed, and her young charge Noel ( almost fifteen ) to clothe and educate. When she witnesses a road accident and finds herself in court, the repercussions are both unexpectedly marvellous and potentially disastrous - disastrous because Vee is not actually the person she's pretending to be, and neither is Noel.The end of the war won't just mean peace, but discovery...With caustic wit and artful storytelling, Lissa Evans elegantly summons a time when the world could finally hope to emerge from the chaos of war.___Readers love V for Victory:'The characters stay in the memory and heart.''It's pitch perfect - funny, sad, moving, compelling''Full of warmth, wit and wisdom, an absolute joy'

As featured on BBC Radio 4 Good Reads 'The work of a novelist in her prime' Daily Telegraph'Wise and witty' Sarah Hughes, Observer'Essential . . . Evans is a brilliant storyteller' Stylist'A timely, bittersweet comic novel' Guardian'A thoughtful, funny, companionable novel' Sunday Times_______________________________What do you do next, after you've changed the world?It is 1928. Matilda Simpkin, rooting through a cupboard, comes across a small wooden club - an old possession of hers, unseen for more than a decade.Mattie is a woman with a thrilling past and a chafingly uneventful present. During the Women's Suffrage Campaign she was a militant. Jailed five times, she marched, sang, gave speeches, smashed windows and heckled Winston Churchill, and nothing - nothing - since then has had the same depth, the same excitement.Now in middle age, she is still looking for a fresh mould into which to pour her energies. Giving the wooden club a thoughtful twirl, she is struck by an idea - but what starts as a brilliantly idealistic plan is derailed by a connection with Mattie's militant past, one which begins to threaten every principle that she stands for.Old Baggage is a funny and bittersweet portrait of a woman who has never, never given up the fight.

Now a major film starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy.It's 1940. In a small advertising agency in Soho, Catrin Cole writes snappy lines for Vida Elastic and So-Bee-Fee gravy browning. But the nation is in peril, all skills are transferable and there's a place in the war effort for those who have a knack with words.Catrin is conscripted into the world of propaganda films. After a short spell promoting the joy of swedes for the Ministry of Food, she finds herself writing dialogue for 'Just an Ordinary Wednesday', a heart-warming but largely fabricated 'true story' about rescue and romance on the beaches of Dunkirk. And as bombs start to fall on London, she discovers that there's just as much drama, comedy and passion behind the scenes as there is in front of the camera . . .Originally published as Their Finest Hour and a Half

Stuart Horten, ten years old and small for his age, is about to have the strangest ADVENTURE of his life.After moving to the boring town of Beeton, he finds himself swept up in an INCREDIBLE QUEST to find his great-uncle's lost legacy: a magician's workshop stuffed with trickery and MAGIC. There are clues to follow, unbearable neighbours to avoid and PUZZLES to solve, but what starts as FUN ends up as DANGER, and Stuart begins to realise that he can't finish the task on his own . . .

Stuart Horten (aged ten, but looks younger) is now the owner of a Magician's Workshop - a treasure trove of illusions and the gateway to seven magical adventures. Except that without his great-uncle's last will and testament, Stuart can't actually prove the workshop is his.Can he solve the puzzles and find the will before it's too late? Or will the looming danger and increasing risks ruin his friendships for good?

From the bestselling author of Wed Wabbit, Wished is a hilarious misadventure about how the biggest wishes can come true, in the most unexpected ways.

Three children. One long, boring school holiday at an ancient neighbour's. One very old, very smelly cat. But when Ed and co find a box of birthday candles and make a wish, their world is changed completely.For with every candle comes a wish, but some of those wishes actually belong to someone else . . .

You're called Fidge and you're nearly eleven. You've been hurled into a strange world. You have three companions: two are unbelievably weird and the third is your awful cousin Graham. You have to solve a series of nearly impossible clues. You need to deal with a cruel dictator and three thousand Wimbley Woos (yes, you read that sentence correctly).And the whole situation - the whole, entire thing - is your fault.Wed Wabbit is an adventure story about friendship, danger and the terror of never being able to get back home again. And it's funny. It's seriously funny.