Louise Powell's debut novel to be published as a JM Originals title
'Underdogs' is the debut novel from Louise Powell and is set to be published in early-July as a JM Originals title.
Underdogs set for July release
Underdogs is the story of 10-year-old George and his dad Reg who get involved in flapping with a dog named Goldie. Written by Louise Powell, the opening of the book won the Sid Chaplin Northern Writers’ Award 2023.
Powell has an MA from Durham University and a PhD in English from Sheffield Hallam University and has written prize-winning plays that have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra and performed at nine theatres.
Described as 'a love letter to the flapping community', Underdogs has been picked up by JM Originals who will publish the book on July 2. For those who are not aware of JM Originals, they have published one book a year under this banner since 2015. In that time the books that they have launched have won and been nominated for a string of awards.
John Murray Publishers began in the 1700s and have published authors such as Lord Byron, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jane Austin as well as Charles Darwin's Origin Of Species, plus many more household names.
They now have turned their attention to a book about greyhound racing, with a front cover design which came from a competition won by Ellis Crossley who is a final year design student at Liverpool John Moores University.
The book synopsis is as follows:
County Durham, 1998. The pits have closed and jobs are hard to come by, but charismatic ex-miner Bertie has a plan. He runs an underground gambling ring at the local dog track which offers down-on-their-luck blokes a way to turn their life around.
Reg's ten-year-old son George knows his dad hasn't been the same since Mam died, and the letters with scary red type that keep coming through the door can't be good news. So when Bertie offers Reg and George the chance to race Goldie, a beautiful fawn greyhound, they jump at the opportunity.
To succeed they'll need to learn how to navigate the larger-than-life world of the flapping track, all while dark secrets from Bertie's past threaten to unravel the operation. Do Reg and George have what it takes to pull off the gamble of a lifetime?
You can pre-order the book on the below links and help to support an author who is not only pro-greyhound racing but grew up around the flapping tracks of the north-east.
