News

Sophie Neville on ITV News 2017

Sophie has won the Eyelands Book Awards for an unpublished Historical Novel. This story was shortlisted by Flash 500 Novel Opening Competition 2022, shortlisted in the Fiction Factory First Chapter competition, short-listed by  The Virginia Prize for Fiction and won 3rd Prize in the I AM Writing Romance Competition (judged by Kate Nash on commercial appeal) and the Association of Christian Writers’ novel writing competition in the UK.

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Sophie’s wartime story was shortlisted by the C&R Press 2022 Awards for Literature and reached the finals of the Association of Christian Fiction Writers’ First Impressions writing contest in the USA. It was shortlisted for the U.S. 2022 Hemingway Book Awards for 20th Century Wartime fiction.

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The Lutterworth Press will be bringing ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’ out as an audiobook with Sophie narrating her own diary.

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Sophie is also bringing out her award-winning book ‘Funnily Enough’ as an audio book. She read a section of her chapter on ‘The Real Meaning of Christmas’ and was interviewed on UCB Irelands’ Writer’s Trail Christmas Special.

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‘Ride the Wings of Morning’ by Sophie Neville won the Proust Prize 2022 for being the longest book in the ACW conference, where I ran a workshop written up in Christian Writer magazine:

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Meanwhile, my unpublished WWII story is currently Number 1 in historical fiction in the Launch Pad Prose writing competition in the USA

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3rd Prize Winner in I AM Writing Romance

The Virginia Prize for Fiction 2022

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This pair of unpublished novels set in Africa were long-listed in Retreat West’s First Chapter Competition 2022 and reached the finals of the 2021 Page Turner Wards.

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One was in the quarter-finals of Roadmap’s Write Start Competition in the USA, the semi-finals of The Eludia Award 2021

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Sophie’s work in progress, set in East Africa, Burma and Japan, has won three literary awards:

‘A Woman’s Write’ 2019 prize for an unpublished novel in the USA

AWW Winner 2019 -

Eyelands Book Awards 2019 prize for an unpublished historical novel.

Eyelands Book Awards 2019

Athanatos Writing Contest in the USA: Grand Prize U$2,500

Athanatos Christian Writing Contest WinnersIt was long-listed for the Historical Novel Society’s First Novel AwardRetreat West’s First Chapter Competition, 2021, the Exeter Prize 2021, Flash 500 novel opening competition, 2021  and reached the semi-finals of a North American novel writing competition.

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Sophie was awarded a Three Rock Writer’s Resort residency on Crete 

Three Writer's Resort ResidencyThe Wilson Stephens & Jones Gallery in London have been exhibiting Sophie Neville’s picture of an artichoke, taken during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Photograph of an artichoke by Sophie Neville, that won the Creat! photographic competition 2020
The prize-winning photograph of an artichoke

It won the photography section of the Create! competition held in aid of the literacy charity, SchoolReaders and judged by Harry Cory Wright.

https://www.schoolreaders.org/create-video

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Often featured in the book press, Sophie has become an Author Supporter for SchoolReaders’ literacy programme

Mail on Sunday - A homage to Swallows, Amazons and a girl with a rather rude name!

A story from one of her books was featured in The Times Diary recently.

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A signed edition of ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’ by Sophie Neville sold in a charity auction in aid of BBC Children in Need for £251

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She took part in a Lakeland Arts online event, spoke on Felixstow Radio and was interviewed in the press and for online magazines:

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‘The Secret Life of Arthur Ransome‘ presented by Griff Rhys Jones, which includes film clips is constantly on BBC iPlayer.

Blog Tour for 'The Making of Swallows and Amazons' by Sophie NevilleSophie Neville’s incredible true stories can be seen profiled on Wikiesvied.com here

Sophie Neville off to a book signing at Waterstones

Sophie has been speaking on BBC Radio Solent about her beach cleaning activities. She won Beach Picker of the Year 2020 and Litter Picker of the Year 2021 awarded by Littler Pickers of the New Forest.

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a project covered by the Daily Mail

SophieNeville in the Daily Maill 2019

Sophie appeared in a number of newspapers

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to help advertise the Essex Book Festival 2019

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She has been contributing to the Westmorland Gazette’s Podium column:

Meaning of Christmas by Sophie Neville

and writes for various publications to gain publicity for The Waterberg Trust

Sophie Neville in the Drapers' Journal 2018

She opened the The Tavistock Festival

David Webb‘s new DVD on ‘Walton’s Secret Backwaters’ presented by Chris Opperman features an interview with Sophie in her role as President of The Arthur Ransome Society and includes the cover of her book on ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’. The DVD can be purchased here.

Sophie Neville, President of The Arthur Ransome Society

Sophie’s talk at the Alhambra Cinema in Keswick attracted press coverage for the Keswick Convention. 

She is often invited to speak on BBC Radio Solent and BBC Radio Cumbria while her public appearances have been discussed on other stations this year.

The second edition of ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974)’ has been regularly featured in magazines and newspapers

La Plume 2018 page one

6-page article in La Plume was published in the Netherlands

La Plume 2018 page 2

-News from 2017-

Feature article in the December issue of Living magazine

Article on how to find Swallows and Amazons locations

~ Sophie Neville profiled in Country Life magazine~

with a Podium column The Westmorland Gazette.

Sophie Neville photo Westmorland Gazette

The Westmorland Gazette and Cumbria Magazine have both run features and book reviews

Cumbria magazine June 2017

News coverage of the marathon reading of ‘We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea’ attracted extensive with coverage on BBC News, BBC Radio Suffolk, and ITV local News when Griff Rhys Jones and Sophie Neville were both interviewed.

Nancy Blackett in Classic Sailor

A 6-page feature in Classic Sailor magazine.

Sophie Neville with Nancy Blackett

News of the Marathon Reading of Swallows and Amazons in the Mail with photos in the Westmorland Gazette

Sophie Neville at Coniston with the Rushton Girls - Hannah 10 Megan 8 and Imogen 6

and a feature in North West News and Features, The Mail, Go Lakes, Head for the Hills, Cumbria Life, Cumbria Crack, the Westmorland Gazette , reading with Radio 4’s reporter Caz Graham

Sophie Neville being interviewed on BBC Radio

There were further broadcasts on Lakeland Radio NewsThe Bay Radio News with top billing for Sophie Neville on BBC Radio Cumbria, which you can listen to here (start at 48.00)

Sophie Neville returns to the Lakes

News of Sophie’s books has also been covered by other regions:

Funnily Enough on the front page of the Tavistock Times and Gazette

‘Funnily Enough’ on the front cover of the Tavistock Times Gazette

-News from 2016-

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Sophie Neville with Alastair Fothergill and Juliet Maddan fundraising for The Waterberg Trust profiled in the Northern Echo and other regional newspapers

Swallows and Amazons film poster

The 1974 film of ‘Swallows & Amazons’ broadcast in Australia

Westmoreland Gazette – November

Lymington Times – October

East Anglian Daily Times – October

Speaking on Premier Radio – August

BBC South Today – on BBC iPlayer at 21.05

Sophie Neville with Sarah Farmer and Seren Hawkes

The Times Diary – August

Czech News Agency quoting Sophie Nevillova:

“Je třeba brát neustále v úvahu, že Vlaštovky jsou fiktivní hrdinové,” zdůrazňuje Sophie Nevillová, předsedkyně Společnosti Arthura Ransoma. “Ano, vycházejí z Altounyanových dětí, ale Ransome chtěl, aby se s nimi mohlo ztotožnit každé dítě.”

BBC Radio Leeds with Richard Stead – August

Sophie’s book trailer published in the Mail Online – August & July

Telegraph feature by Virginia McKenna – August

BBC News Online – August

The Daily Telegraph – August

Sophie Neville for the Telegraph

The Mail on Sunday – Event

– ITV News at Ten –

repeated on NZ News

News at Ten talk to Sophie Neville about bringing the dream of Swallows and Amazons within reach of children today. ‘Wednesday Junior Sailing was in full swing, so we had about 80 kids learning to sail. I took ITV reporter Nina Nannar sailing in a small scow, rigged much like ‘Swallow’.
 
Click here to watch the report by by Nina Nannar on ITV News
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Sophie at the helm
 

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Speaking on Saturday Breakfast Show  BBC Radio Suffolk

Speaking to Mike Zeller on BBC Radio Cumbria

News article in the Ipswich Star 25th July

Feature article in Weekend edition of East Anglian Daily Times

Weekend feature

The Mail Online in The Guardian, the Express ,the Sunday Telegraph, the Independent and Lancashire Life

TITTY WALKER - Swallows and Amazons

A quote on BBC TV’s ‘Have I Got A Bit More News for You’, interviews on BBC Radio Cumbria and in the Telegraph please click here

“Would  I be remembered as an intrepid child?” Saturday Telegraph

Author Sophie Neville in Bedford Times and Citizen and Radio BigglesFM

Appearing in the classic movie ‘Swallows & Amazons’ on ITV3 over Christmas

Sophie Neville at the Riverside cinema Woodbridge

– 2015 –

Q&A at a cinema screening of ‘Swallows & Amazons’ featured in the Ipswich Star

The Mail Online published the book trailer for ‘The Secrets of Filming Swallows & Amazons’ 

Telegraph interviewed Sophie Neville and the official movie trailer was in the Express

Speaking to Dan Damon on BBC Radio 4 + World Update

Sophie Neville Radio 4

live radio interviews on

BBC Radio Tees and BBC Radio Cumbria – (click here: it’s at 49.50)

Telegraph On-line as discussed on Sky TV – twice

and by Anne Diamond on The Wright Stuff

The Times Diary (TMS) on 6th July

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and Pick of The Week:

The Week - 4th July 2015

All after this interview in the Telegraph was syndicated nationwide

Daily Telegraph - 25th July 2015

The Trailer for the book ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’ included in the Mail Online

Daily Mail 25th July

The Irish Examiner , Breaking News in Ireland and The Times on Saturday

Times - 26th July 2015

A photograph in the  Telegraph View

a comment in the Daily Telegraph editorial

a photograph in the Independent

articles in the Daily Express

The Guardian – rated ‘Top Entertainment Story’ by Google

A piece in the Argus

Yahoo News

BT News

Radio Times

The News and Star

News and Star

A photographic article in the Westmorland Gazette

Westmorland Gazette

Lancashire Telegraph

Daily Echo

articles in about 34 other newspapers

including Smallholder

with letters in the TelegraphGuardian and Times

CBBC TV’s new show Cinemaniacs

Sophie Neville with 'The Making of Swallows & Amazons'

The Wright Stuff ~ Channel 5

Sophie Neville promoting her book

Cotswold Life profiled Sophie in their November and December issues

Sophie Neville at the Cotswold Life Author's lunch - photoTWM

A photograph from the film in the Times Saturday Review

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Richard Kay's column in Daily Mail Friday Nov 22nd1

Excitement about the 40th Anniversary cinema screenings of Swallows & Amazons (U) spawned pictorials in the Westmorland Gazette weekend feature

Ransome on my shoulder

The Bolton News, and The Lady with a Daily Mail Weekend magazine feature on Virginia McKenna

Cumbria Live picked up on the news, as did BBC Radio Cumbria and Lakeland Radio.

Westmorland Gazette 2014

Westmorland Gazette 2014 with a feature article and The Lymington Times reviewed the book. There were numerous on-line reviews of StudioCanal’s 40th Anniversary release of the restored Blu-ray and DVD with bonus material as well as posts such as this one on Flickering Myth.

Telegraph Magazine1

The cover appeared in The Sunday Observer magazine and the Telegraph Magazine, while Sophie wrote a piece for a page in Country Life:

The Making of Swallows & Amazons featured in Country Life
Country Life ~ 2014

The Making of Swallows & Amazons has also been featured in the magazine Yours:

The Making of Swallows & Amazons in Yours

Media attention received by the publication of the ebook on The Secrets of Filming Swallows & Amazons was considerable. The day after an article appeared in Richard Kay’s column in the Daily Mail, Hayley Dixon ran a feature with colour photographs and the book trailer in the Telegraph, Culture- Books section

The Sunday Telegraph Seven magazine rang to ask for exclusivity on extracts. The next day The Times published this half-page article in their Saturday issue:

The Times Sat 23 Nov 20131

There was another article in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday:

Saturday Telegraph Nov 23rd 2013

It was followed by features in local newspapers:

Westomorland Gazette Nov 28th 20131

Lutterworth and Rugby Observer and The Rugby Advertiser ran news features.

The Arthur Ransome Society magazines Mixed Moss, Signals and The Outlaw published articles and reviews. Reviews on-line are said to reach millions.

There was even more of a buzz in Cumbria Live and Hastings Online Times while Richard Kay ran a second movie-story from Sophie Neville:

Richard Kay's column in Daily Mail Weds 18th Dec

Local newspaper articles led to sales:

Lymington Times 4th Jan 2014

Classic Boat magazine had a book review in their February issue.

Classic Boat Feb 2014 Review
Country Life ~ 20th August 2014

iBelieve, the Christian lifestyle magazine, published eleven double-page extracts from ‘Funnily Enough’ .

IBelieve December 1

 
 
Sophie Neville as profiled in the October 2012 edition of Cotswold Life
 
From this season’s issue of The Bible Society’s ‘Word in Action’
 
A book review of 'Ride the Wings of Morning' by Sophie Neville
 
News pages ~ August 2012
 

Richard Kay's page in the Daily Mail

 
Bestselling Author Sophie Neville's write-up on Richard Kay's page in Daily Mail
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