New Zealand author Rose Carlyle’s new novel No One Will Know explores motherhood , illegal adoption and dark secrets. When Rose Carlyle attended a booksellers’ conference in Brisbane recently, it struck her she now inhabited a split-personality world. After years of writing at her desk “like a hermit”, suddenly here she was at a glittering event overseas, being introduced to publishing VIPs dressed in sequins, and listening to emotional speeches as people cheered - about books! She felt as though she were at the Oscars .
“It was lovely, just brilliant,” says the Takapuna-based author, with an air of disbelief. “You’re shaking hands with all these people. Occasionally I’d meet someone who’d be gushing at me or rendered speechless like I’m a famous person.
” As she prepares to launch her second novel, No One Will Know , it’s clear she’s humbled by the fanfare surrounding her work, four years after releasing her globally best-selling debut, The Girl in the Mirror . Before the book had even been through the editing process, Carlyle received a rare, one-book, six-figure deal from Australian publisher Allen & Unwin. Later, she had the luxury of choosing which top US publisher to work with, opting for editor Liz Stein at William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins.
The book has been translated into eight languages and has sold about 150,000 copies worldwide, including in Brazil, where Carlyle has been surprised to find she’s amassed a big fan base. Even .
