Lagom, the dedicated lifestyle imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired the unflinching memoir from writer and campaigner, Stacey Heale.
Editorial Director Ciara Lloyd acquired world all language rights from Carly Cook at Carly Cook Agency.
Now is Not the Time for Flowers is the beautiful and honest memoir from writer Stacey Heale. With the death of her husband Greg as the catalyst, Stacey explores the full spectrum of our lives as women and all its complexities. Told through the lens of her life and experiences, she examines the messy and unexpected realities of love, desire, motherhood, death, grief and its aftermath, and the challenges and questions that our nuanced lives force upon us.
Ciara Lloyd said: ‘I’ve long been an admirer of Stacey, having watched her write with such honesty and rawness during some of the darkest days of her life. It is now my absolute honour to work with Stacey, and to see up close the beauty and haunting nature of her writing and the incredible community of support that she’s built up. I am so proud that we get to publish this incredible voice at Bonnier.’
Stacey Heale is a writer, speaker, curator, fashion academic and campaigner who is inspiring radically honest discussions on the lived experience of women, focusing on caring, grief, widowhood and solo parenting. Her 2018 TED talk focused on post-traumatic growth and the power of social media during a personal crisis. In November 2016, Stacey’s husband, Delays lead singer Greg Gilbert, was diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer and died in 2021. In that time, she has campaigned for lowering the age of bowel cancer screening in the UK, research into treatments for stage IV cancer patients, access to unfunded drugs on the NHS and the financial rights of widows.
Stacey Heale said: ‘I’m thrilled to work with Bonnier on such a personal project. My aim for the book is to tell the messy stories I longed to read about when going through my own darkest times. I believe wholeheartedly in the power of storytelling and its ability to connect and bring relief when realising you aren’t alone.’
Now is Not the Time for Flowers will be published in hardback, audio and eBook in March 2024, with the paperback to follow.
