Catherine Isaac, book deals and Hollywood movie news
Like most people, I’ve become fairly attached to my own name over the years.
But there are certain jobs that require a little flexibility on these things. And while that isn’t quite as imperative for an author as, say, an undercover FBI agent, sometimes a name change just makes sense.
After a decade of writing as Jane Costello, my next book, You Me Everything, will be released under the pseudonym Catherine Isaac. Those who’ve been reading my work for the last ten years (thank you if you’re one of them) might be wondering why.
Quite simply, while You Me Everything has some of the ingredients my readers have come to expect, it stands out from my previous books in a number of ways.
Writing it felt special, different but in all the right ways. And I really hope that reading it will too. At its heart is a love story, but this is not a conventional one. It's a novel that explores not just romantic love, but that between mothers and sons, fathers and daughters.
It’s about love at its worst and best, but most of all, it’s about finding every bit of joy in life, no matter what is thrown at you.
So, is it better than anything I’ve written? Obviously, I hope so; every author wants to improve with each book. But it’s also true that this novel has attracted a level of interest I’ve only ever dreamed about before.
The book brought me my first ever opportunity to write for a US audience, after it was acquired by Pamela Dorman Books. Pam is known for publishing books such as The Secret Life of Bees, Me Before You and Bridget Jones’s Diary, so it’s an honour to have the opportunity to
work with her, while continuing my decade-long relationship with Suzanne Baboneau at Simon & Schuster UK.
There have since been many other deals around the globe, giving You Me Everything a home in countries including Germany, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Korea, Russia, Serbia, Israel, Brazil and Portugal.
Then, when I thought it couldn’t get better, I had the ‘pinch me’ moment of learning that a film option has been acquired by Temple Hill Entertainment, the Hollywood studio that made Twilight and The Fault In Our Stars.
All of this before it’s even hit the shelves.
This whirlwind of interest from around the world underlined the view of my agents, Sheila Crowley and Rebecca Ritchie at Curtis Brown, that this book stood out from anything I’d written before. Therefore, it made sense to publish it under a new name.
Coming up with one wasn’t easy. It’s not just about finding a name you like – I’d have been a Chloe or an Isabelle any day if it had. It’s got to suit you, to feel right and, ideally, actually mean something. So I plumped for Catherine - my middle name – and Isaac, which is the name of one of my sons.
I’m incredibly proud of everything I’ve achieved writing as Jane Costello and hope readers continue to gain just as much pleasure from the books I’ve written in that name for many years to come.
In the meantime, I’m happily getting used to the idea idea of answering when someone calls out, ‘Catherine’, just like I do when I hear Jane or the other name I picked up somewhere . . . Mum.