@breakthroughbook
An award-winning indie publisher putting creatives and readers first, with lovingly made, quality books… and a fair deal! E-shop now open on our website! https://www.breakthroughbookcollective.com https://linktr.ee/breakthroughbooks
In this chapter, Malek must weigh the souls of a modern woman who by night seems to become the angel in a picture painted by an artist in Tehran, a whose soul - and safety from the authorities - may also be in the balance…
open.substack.com/pub/breakthr...
Dip into the wild and dangerous world of a journalist who has seen too much, a possibly possessed Kindle, a Babylonian djinn, and a journey through the ancient and modern Middle East.
Delighted to share an #extract from the extraordinary magical realist novel by Al Jazeera correspondent and author, Imran Khan on our substack today.
open.substack.com/pub/breakthr...
And what an honour on #worldbookday to be appearing on this fascinating podcast that is discussing and archiving literature that does not shy away from addressing #Covid - do check out pandemic pages on Instagram, TikTok and Spotify!
Happy World Book Day! Here’s to anyone reading or writing any kind of truly human-made book. Let’s turn up the dial on empathy, awareness, connection and let’s celebrate the quiet, simple pleasures. Let’s rediscover the humanity of sharing in inspiration, imagination and craft.
#worldbookday
Phew! What a few months it’s been! We’ve added to our awards nominations, launched our substack, and with other exciting things waiting to be announced, it was only fair to give our harried social media manager a few days off.
So we won’t be posting on socials on the 29th, 30th or 31st of February…
For lovers of #HistoricalFiction, here's an opportunity to get hold of Nicole Swengley's The Portrait Girl (@breakthroughbook.bsky.social) on special promotion! #histfic
BOOK BARGAIN ALERT!
We have no idea how long this offer will last but The Portrait Girl by Nicole Swengley is now only a fiver on Waterstones’ website!
Described as “a throughly engaging mystery” by the FT, this gorgeous paperback is also the perfect #BookClubRead.
Thank you Valeria!
Now on our substack, a teaser from The Portrait Girl by Nicole Swengley. Meet plucky Freya, a jewellery designer on a quest to discover the identity of an inherited locket, and the reptilian Ralph, an art collector who literally ‘lives’ his obsessions…
breakthroughbooks.substack.com/p/extract-th...
Thank you Rachel!
We couldn’t be more delighted that
Figgles & Flo, so sensitively written by Antonia Blackmore, beautifully illustrated by Sarah P Sharpe and created for the charity Families in Grief has been named a Finalist in the Little Peeps Award by Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media.
#kidlit #chlidrensbooks
Susie Helme notes:
“The excitement is… realistic… an in-the-moment experience.”
She also appreciated “how different all the characters were. Even the prehistoric characters have distinct personalities. I also loved how the language in the prehistoric sections seemed appropriate to the time frame.”
Huge thanks to the prestigious Historical Novel Society for featuring a write-up on The Fire In Their Eyes by Stephanie Bretherton!
📖 ✍️ 📖 ✍️
We’re delighted that the reviewer found much to like in this dual timeline novel set in both ancient prehistory and the present day.
🕰️ 🌍 🕰️ 🌍
Where the bloody hell is Jeremy? ;)
#booksky
A new #substack post with an #extract from Entropy by @brethertonwords.bsky.social, one of the short stories in our #anthology, Order and Chaos.
What would you do if your partner was there one minute and had completely disappeared, the next?
Link in comments…
Well this is just as it should be! We are tickled pink to see the uniquely brilliant Two Similar-Looking Men With Umbilical Hernias on the shortlist for Satire and Humour in the CIBAs!
#humorousfiction #shortlistedbook #comedywriting
@zenabarrie.bsky.social
Huge thanks to Hannah's Bookshelf 📖 for her review of 🔥 The Fire In Their Eyes 🔥 by Stephanie Bretherton on North Manchester Radio 1066 FM!
“THOUGHT-PROVOKING and COMPELLING in its scope.”
“ENGAGING characters that feel very real, very flawed, and most importantly, very human.”
#bookreview
If you are not yet familiar with the humorous musings of Zena Barrie, we highly recommend you familiarise yourself with a free #extract from her hilarious and surreal collection, Two Similar Looking Men With Umbilical Hernias, now up on our #Substack…
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Almost embarrassed to keep posting this stuff, but hey, I worked hard for it and it would be ungracious not to be thankful? So, of course I’m “thrilled” to have also progressed as a Global Thriller Finalist in the Chanticleer Awards with the Fire In Their Eyes! #booksky
Thrilled to get further recognition for The Fire In Their Eyes, and this time for “Visionary Fiction” - thanks to The Independent Press Awards for a “Distinguished Favourite” badge! Maybe all that daydreaming hasn’t been a waste? @breakthroughbook.bsky.social
#booksky
Absolutely thrilled that Figgles & Flo, our children's book for Families In Grief has made the shortlist of the Chanticleer Little Peeps awards! Fantastic to see this helpful and enriching book get the recognition it so deserves. #kidlit #booksthathelpkids #picturebooks #shortlisted
We are incredibly grateful for another fantastic year, and would like to wish everyone a very happy 2026!
2025 also saw us open our webshop, a fantastic and ethical way to support indie business, plus our children’s book for the charity Families in Grief, Figgles & Flo was longlisted for a Chanticleer Award, and in December we started posting free short stories on our new Substack!
And last but not least for book launches, Optimal Leadership, our first business book by “serial CEO” Wilf Blackburn sprang out the gates to lead the way in indispensable guides for taking the reins with ethics, wisdom and ingenuity. But wait, there’s more.
Soon after that was The Fire In Their Eyes, book two in Stephanie’s Children Of Sarah series, an eco-thriller set in both prehistory and present day, which only went and won one Award and is shortlisted for another! Cue some popping corks.
Next came a work of hilarious originality, Two Men With Similar Looking Umbilical Hernias from the sightly twisted yet all the way brilliant mind of Zena Barrie. This collection of surreal but sharply observant short stories received all the love it was very much due.
