It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
Let The Good Times Roll
Turning 35, celebrating 15 years together + delivering Book 3 & the Best Scottish Crime Writing party
Kim Sherwood
Oct 16
Dear Reader,
Welcome to all new subscribers! It’s great to have you here. It’s been a bumper month so far and I have so much to share with you – from a 35th birthday/15 year anniversary extravaganza to delivering Double O Book 3 and attending the Scottish Crime Book of the Year prize-giving!
girl with the golden pen is a reader-supported publication that gives a window into my writing life. Each newsletter is free, but there is additional bonus content for paying subscribers – in today’s issue, paying subscribers can find out what happened when I met Richard Armitage and watch an exclusive early release of a video where I talk about how to continue another writer’s legacy. The newsletter is made possible by the support and encouragement of free and paying subscribers alike, but if you enjoy what you read here, want access to exclusive content and to help ensure I can keep it up, please consider upgrading today to £7 a month or £70 a year. For £150 a year, founding members receive signed first editions and proofs of my latest novels!
girl with the golden pen is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Bon Anniversaire
On the 4th of October, I turned 35. On the 5th of October, Nick and I celebrated 15 years of being a couple and 5 years since our wedding day. Yes, we got married on our 10 year anniversary/Global James Bond Day, a pure coincidence – if you believe in coincidences…
So we gathered together friends and family and forayed into the Highlands for a weekend of good food (cooked by the greatest chef there is, my mum), good music and good people.
It was a taste of what it’s like to have a front and back staircase, so many living rooms you keep losing them and four fridges that I knew of – and reader, let me tell you, it’s not terrible. It was also a chance to catch up with friends from house-shares in student days and folks who now live overseas and over dale who have become family over the past 15 years. Together, our chosen family and our closest kin – those who could make it and those far away – have been central to our relationship since day one and it felt fitting to pop champagne together, listen to Nick & Mike get the old band back together (long live Late Arrivals Club) and introduce people to our latest family member, Pat.
Not only Pat, we also had Gem, my mum’s sheepdog who kept Rosie company on the drive up from Cornwall to Scotland in Rosie’s converted van! To read all about Rosie’s adventures, check out her substack A Nomadic Rose.
The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice Pat and I wore matching black velvet, naturally. Pat sported a collar gifted from the Fleming Estate, with a gold tag reading OOK9. While I wore my wedding dress – because if you get married in black velvet, it will never go out of style.
Speaking of Fleming-related gifts, this year I was as excited as a school kid to receive a Dr. No lunchbox from Nick – I always wanted one of these! And Nick gave me his special edition Live and Let Die Swatch from his school days. There’s a reason we’ve been together for 15 years.
Draft 2, Book 3
I was determined to submit the latest draft of Book 3 in the Double O trilogy before the celebrations commenced, and I managed it in a long dark teatime of the soul – otherwise known as pulling an all nighter for about two weeks to the repeated soundtrack of ‘Non-Stop’ from Hamilton. With Draft 1, I felt like I was inviting my editors to eat a meal I was halfway through preparing. With Draft 2, the meal is ready but the menu could still be refined before the big banquet. Let’s see what our visiting judges think. (If you watch The Great British Menu, this metaphor will make a lot more sense to you.)
Criminally Good
A Spy Like Me was a finalist for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2024, the first Bond novel to be nominated for a literary prize. The gong ultimately went to Chris Brookmyre for The Cracked Mirror but it remained a sterling night in Stirling as I had the chance to meet my fellow finalists, the grandees of Scottish crime writing, including Queen of Crime herself Val McDermid.
After the prize giving, there was a bagpipe procession through the city, because, Scotland. These events can be a little awkward: you clutch your wine too long and end up holding a warm glass as you wall-flower in a crowded room of strangers. But the best bits are the serendipitous moments. I was reunited with Stig Abel over dinner, who was the first person to ever interview me on radio – for Front Row in 2018 with my first novel Testament – and it was lovely to thank him for a special moment and catch up on everything that’s happened since. And, best of all, I met Richard Armitage. To find out if I managed to get out a coherent sentence, become a paying subscriber now and read on!
From Kim, With Love x...
https://kimsherwood.substack.com/archive
https://x.com/kimtsherwood
https://www.instagram.com/kimtsherwood/
How did people here find A Spy Like Me in comparison to Double or Nothing?
I prefer Double or Nothing, it being partly set in Baikonur and having a set piece in the abandoned Buran shuttle, as a space nerd makes me very happy. I like where Spy Like Me takes Harwood and Dryden’s characters though, but plot wise if you don’t like DoN, this is more of the same and I’d say it’s even more convoluted. Having said that I’ve only read it once when it came out so I’m due for a reread.
I'll get the third when it appears, and give the trilogy another go over the summer when I've got more time.
Literature is a funny thing. I'll read the Horrowitz books in a few sittings, but this 00 series isn't grabbing me yet.
https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/double-o-book-3-kim-sherwood
Thank you for the information. It's unique that we'll get two IFP books within two months of each other! I'll still keep this thread updated on her newsletters (if they happen again)!
A little note
You haven't heard from me in a while
Kim Sherwood
Dear Reader,
Firstly, welcome to all you new subscribers! It’s great to have you here. And secondly, thanks so much to all long-time readers who have reached out recently. I was really touched to hear from you. I know you haven’t heard from me in a while so I just wanted to send you a little note. At the end of last year, we suffered a family bereavement. I ended up taking an unplanned break from social media and girl with the golden pen. I also took a break from writing, which means there will be a delay in the publication of the third novel in the Double O series.
The fact that there are readers excited to get the next instalment has been a massive boost and you can rest assured the car is now back on the track – though when the book will cross the finish line and into bookshops (to mix a metaphor) I don’t yet know. But as soon as I know, you will too.
As I get into gear, the newsletter will remain on hold for a while, though I will pop back into your inboxes here and there with any exciting news. (I have a few projects I can’t yet share, but I’m excited to fill you in the day I can!) Founding members will continue to receive proofs, merch and exclusive goodies as they come.
I’ll let you know when the newsletter will resume regularly scheduled programming, and if you’d like to unsubscribe in the meantime I totally understand. If you do want to continue your support of girl with the golden pen, and receive updates as and when they come, let me say a huge thank you for your encouragement.
Whether you’re a long-term subscriber or new, free or paid, founding member or recent reader, it means the world to have you all on the journey with me, especially in hard times. Thank you.
From Kim, With Love x
You're welcome, @Dragonpol sorry for the late reply. Things truly come in threes in Literary Bond. Just this week, we had one of the IFP directors step down after 30+ years there. Then we find out about Kim Sherwood's unfortunate situation, delaying Double 00 book three. Lastly, Vaseem Khan has sent out another riddle for the Q Mysteries. It seems that Literary Bond has more of an interesting year ahead than what they announced recently.
A big win in Lisbon + new adventures in screenwriting
Kim Sherwood
May 28
Dear Reader,
Thank you for your kindness and support in the last few months as we experienced two losses in our family. It has been a time of grief and change, mourning my beloved mother-in-law, Vera, and our beloved grandmother, Marika, both women of immense heart and commitment to family and society.
If you’d like to learn a little about my grandmother – whose work as a historian and campaigner inspired my love of research – The Guardian published a beautiful obituary, which you can read here.
I’m pleased to say regularly scheduled programming from girl with the golden pen will now resume, and I have so much to share with you – a big win in Lisbon, writing for the screen and Ian Fleming’s advice on hotels.
Taking Marika to the London Review Bookshop to see Testament published.
Delivering Double O and celebrating in a hotel fit for James Bond
I am happy (and relieved!) to report that the final manuscript of the third title in the Double O series is now with my publishers. I can’t wait to share it with you in 2026 – I think it’s a fitting end to what has been a life-changing trilogy for me.
How best to celebrate no more edits? A hotel called The Editory! Which is exactly what my husband Nick arranged as a surprise on our impromptu visit to Lisbon, booked after Arsenal Women reached the final of the Champions League. The Editory is a stunning new hotel carved from a waterfront monastery-turned-railway station.
The Editory, Lisbon
As Ian Fleming writes:
When in doubt, Bond always chose the station hotels. They were adequate and it was better than even chances that the buffet de la Gare would be excellent. And at the station one could hear the heartbeat of the town. The night-sounds of the trains were full of its tragedy and romance.
Having taken this advice as gospel truth when I was a teenager, I was abnormally excited to discover we could feel the trains rumbling through our floor. But the real selling point is the view. Waking up to the glittering Tagus River, I felt like Johanna Harwood on a luxurious mission. Expect to see this hotel in something I write very soon.
Arsenal Win the Champion’s League
As you’ve subscribed to a newsletter about writing, I can only presume you’re dying to hear the details of the game. Arsenal’s opponents were the most feared team in the women’s game, Barcelona, who beat Chelsea – considered the best team domestically – 8-2 on aggregate in the Semi Finals. If hopes were not high, belief was, and it absolutely paid off. We only went and won the thing! And not by a narrow margin, not by a miracle, but convincingly, resolutely, beautifully.
If you follow me on Instagram, you will have seen MY ABSOLUTE EUPHORIA. Watching the team I’ve supported all my life deliver this historic victory was so beautiful I actually felt weak at the knees, like the heroine of a Regency romance.
It was all the more meaningful because we went as a family to watch Arsenal Women play after my grandmother died, and we sang the club’s anthem ‘The Angel (North London Forever)’ by Louis Dunford along with a sold-out crowd. The song is a tribute to my neighbourhood, where as a recent immigrant to the UK my grandmother bought our house, giving us a home and a future. To sing ‘North London Forever’ in Lisbon with nine thousand die hard travelling fans moved me deeply, delivering the best sport can offer: joy, comfort, togetherness, release.
From Lisbon With Love
I’d never been to Lisbon before but will certainly return. Tiled facades shimmering like fish scales, avenues awash with the purple blossom of Jacaranda trees, which you carry under your feet to public squares where white paper tablecloths flap in the sea breeze outside tascas serving grilled sardines, salted cod, pickled tuna – and dragonfruit cocktail, delicious. Also expect to see someone drinking that in something I write very soon.
While I fell in love with the intricately painted tiles on the houses and the sudden intrusion of a Baroque church or Ancient Roman theatre, I was also completely besotted with the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, which spans a converted nineteenth century power station and a contemporary building that looks like a swelling wave, or a peeping eye, with a tiled roof cresting towards the suspension bridge over the river. From which roof you could very easily have a foot chase across closely packed terracotta tiles. Also expect this in something I write very soon.
Live, Laugh, Lisbon (sorry)
Screen Time
Speaking of writing, paid subscribers can read on below to hear about a new adventure in my work: moving from page to screen. I’m currently working on a few TV and film projects. Though I can’t name them, I’m excited to share this new world with you.
And for founding members of girl with the golden pen, I’m also pleased to say the US paperback of A Spy Like Me is now in! If you’d like a dedicated signed copy for your collection, please let me know in a comment or message.
To read on, upgrade to become a paid subscriber for £7 a month or £70 a year. To receive signed proofs and books, upgrade to becoming a founding member for £150 a year.
Upgrade to paid
Thanks so much for sticking with me, folks, it means the world x...
Book 3 title confirmation.
It's quite similar to the title Hurricane Gold from Charlie Higson's Young Bond series.
I'll keep this brief
Kim Sherwood
Jul 19
Dear Reader,
You’ve not heard from me for a little while. As you know, I lost my beloved mother-in-law before Christmas, and in February my trailblazing grandmother died. I last wrote to you in Spring, hoping for better waters ahead. But after a short period with cancer, my father, Craig Sherwood, died on the 16th of June, the day after Father’s Day.
Craig loved history and we always called him Vlad the Dad. At his funeral this week, I discovered this nickname began as Vlad the Impala, gifted to him by colleagues on tour with Depeche Mode in the ‘80s. Craig was a production manager for rock’n’roll bands and major concerts like Nelson Mandela’s Birthday in the Park, the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony and the Queen’s Jubilee(s). If you’ve read the Thanks & Acknowledgements in my Bond novels, you’ll see Craig mentioned as my global tour guide. He’d travelled literally anywhere there’s a stage and provided me with insights and stories into all my locations for the Double O Series. There are many lines in the books that are his, from describing the smell of a hotel in Kazakhstan to the sensation of standing on the Great Wall of China.
We shared a love of literature, travel, history, films and music. We made each other laugh. At times there was distance between us, but we always found our way back to each other. At his funeral, I read ‘The Farewell’ from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. The poem begins, ‘Farewell to you and the youth I have spent with you. It was but yesterday we met in a dream.’ Here we are at the beginning of that dream.
After hearing about my recent losses, a former student got in touch and told me about the Portuguese word ‘saudade’, meaning the act of missing someone. She told me that in life we collect many saudades, like drops in a cup. Sometimes, the cup overflows. That’s how I feel right now. She told me we can’t pour the cup out, only learn to create more space for the saudade inside.
I wanted to let you know, because I really appreciate all your support and messages. I’ll write again soon, I hope from calmer waters.
From Kim, With Love x
I wish her the best. She's going through a tough time now. We should try and comfort her.
In fact, it comes directly from Fleming himself.
Damn ! It never rains but it pours. She has all my sympathy.
Title confirmed from Kim herself.
Drum roll please...
... and the title of Double O Book 3 is...
Kim Sherwood
Aug 01, 2025
Dear Reader,
One of the most daunting and exciting aspects of writing James Bond is choosing a title. Ian Fleming was a master at titles. The lyrical phrases: From Russia With Love, You Only Live Twice, Live and Let Die… The mysterious one word titles, where it’s all vibes and who cares if you don’t know what it means: Thunderball, Goldfinger, Octopussy… Bond titles are a genre of their own, iconic, cultural shorthands that you know even if you’ve never read or watched Bond. No pressure then.
The title of Book 3 was elusive for a long time. It changed and changed. Then, on literally the last day of writing, I realised it was right there. A motif throughout the book. My all-time favourite Fleming image, threaded across the trilogy. A metaphor for our hero’s state of mind in this final instalment.
If you’re a long-term reader of Bond, you’ll recognise the line. It’s from the first Bond book I devoured, aged twelve, From Russia With Love:
‘In the centre of Bond was a hurricane room, the kind of citadel found in old-fashioned houses in the tropics. These rooms are small, strongly built cells in the heart of the house, in the middle of the ground floor and sometimes dug down into its foundations. To this cell the owner and his family retire if the storm threatens to destroy the house, and they stay there until the danger is past. Bond went to his hurricane room only when the situation was beyond his control and no other possible action could be taken.’
Fleming takes us into the mind of 007 and what is left of him when all the cars, gadgets and guns are gone. And that’s where we find him now…
James Bond returns in Hurricane Room, and the Double O agents make their last stand.
Pre-orders are a massive part of a book’s success, so if you’re excited for this one pre-order now, shout about it, tell your friends, ask your local bookshop, let’s go!
The return of 007
Agent 003, Joanna Harwood, has finally found James Bond after nearly two years of searching. All she has to do is get him out of Russia and convince him he can trust her again.
A mission for revenge
But Bond trusts no one. And he wants revenge on Mora, the monstrous figure at the head of Rattenfänger – a terrorist organisation with links to the past.
The final showdown
MI6’s Double O section is in pieces. Moneypenny is captured. 000 has switched sides. And all of Rattenfänger’s plans for hijacking the cyber-intelligence of the West are finally about to be realised.
The remaining Double Os must work together – and figure out which of them are still loyal…
I can’t wait to share this one with you! It was the hardest to write but it’s become my favourite of the trilogy.
As ever, founding members of girl with the golden pen will receive signed early proofs – arriving in the summer – and signed first edition hardbacks. Upgrade now if you’d like to get your hands on an early copy of Hurricane Room!
To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free subscriber. For bonus content, become a paid subscriber for £7 a month or £70 a year. Or for £150, upgrade to become a founding member & receive signed merch and early copies!
If you’re hankering for more Bond and crime content now, paid subscribers can read on below for a round-up of my latest radio appearances and upcoming events, all in one handy spot. Plus an update on my latest forays into screen writing!
Thanks so much for being on this journey with me. It means the world (…is not enough).
From Kim, With Love x
https://kimsherwood.substack.com/p/drum-roll-please?utm_campaign=email-post&r=1i574a&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
I am excited, she has earned her status as a great Bond alumni!
Or Sebastian Faulks or Purvis and Wade. Kim is talented, she might want to leave on a high note. At least we can call her a TRUE Bond writer now.
Ah yes Faulks … didnt care for him or Devil may care either….
I will defend Purvis and Wade as they were kind of like the police when they were on they were ON… Casino Royale, 2/3rds of Die another Day, Quantum of Solace (though if they knew the title in advance i believe the film would of had characters from the short story) and Skyfall
Of course when they were off the final third of die another day and Spectre uhm well…..
Your post as regards the merits and demerits of Purvis and Wade reminds me of the old nursery rhyme:
There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
:)
It is perhaps a little surprising that the title is so close to that of a previous Bond spinoff novel. However, I suppose there are only so many titles you can come up with for Bond and some of the Bond continuation works have had quite similar titles before.
Yes, they aren't bad. It's just time for fresh writing blood. Kim Sherwood says that she has some screenplay work coming up. Maybe she could be looked at for future Bond screenplays.
An interesting viewpoint from Kim Sherwood on Steven Knight. So much for my prediction that she could become a Bond screenwriter for the foreseeable future.