Kim Sherwood: Say Your Dreams Out Loud

Kim Sherwood is a novelist and a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Edinburgh. Her award-winning debut novel Testament was released in 2018, and in 2019, Kim was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. Her latest novel, A Wild & True Relation, was described by Dame Hilary Mantel as “a rarity – a novel as remarkable for the vigour of the storytelling as for its literary ambition. Kim Sherwood is a writer of capacity, potency and sophistication.” Double or Nothing is the first in an acclaimed series of Double O novels expanding the world of James Bond. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Kim Sherwood

In this interview, Kim discusses how it feels to be able to contribute to one of her favorite series with her new spy thriller, A Spy Like Me, her hope for readers, and more!

Name: Kim Sherwood
Literary agent: Sue Armstrong, Conville & Walsh
Book title: A Spy Like Me
Publisher: William Morrow
Release date: April 23, 2024
Genre/category: Spy thriller
Previous titles: Double or Nothing; Testament; A Wild & True Relation
Elevator pitch: Racing to shatter a network of smugglers funding global terror, the Double O Section find themselves inching unexpectedly closer to Britain’s missing hero, James Bond.

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What prompted you to write this book?

As a lifelong fan of James Bond, it was literally a dream come true when the Ian Fleming Estate asked me to expand the world of 007. I first read Fleming aged 12 and he became one of my favorite authors. Given the mission to introduce new Double O agents in Double or Nothing, I was excited to imagine who could step into the Double O Section today.

A Spy Like Me is the second novel in the Double O Series, following on from Double or Nothing, where James Bond is missing and MI6 are up against global terror organization Rattenfänger. Now, Joseph Dryden (004) and Conrad Harthrop-Vane (000) must hunt down a smuggling network funding Rattenfänger, moving from the world of diamond thieves to antiquities looting in warzones as the story hops from Venice to Crete, Dubai to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Johanna Harwood (003) is on a mission of her own to find 007, and her journey from Paris to Siberia will be the hardest road of all.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

The Ian Fleming Estate first approached me in December 2019, and I began writing the series in earnest in March 2020—an auspicious time to begin a globe-hopping adventure! My first step was to plan out the first three novels. Stuck at home in the pandemic, I took an online course in Art & Antiquities Crime with the University of Glasgow, and the idea began there. The main evolution of the story was working out how to structure the story around the smuggling pipeline, and I took inspiration from Fleming’s Diamonds and Forever and Goldfinger, about diamond and gold smuggling, and his short story “Property of a Lady,” about crime through auction houses. The actual writing took place over 10 months in 2023.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

This journey has been a wild ride. The James Bond fan community is incredibly creative, collaborative, and welcoming, and it’s been amazing to find likeminded spirits who’ve been so excited by the series. It’s also brought me to a bigger platform with many surreal moments—addressing 300 people on a boat sailing up the Seine in Paris, addressing a convention hall at a Comic Con in Germany, learning to drive in a sports car. I’m grateful for every moment.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

This is my first experience writing a series, so I’ve had the opportunity to get to know my Double O agents in a deeper way, delving into back story and imagining long arcs. The more you write a character, the more you get to know them, like getting to know a friend. Writing A Spy Like Me, there were many moments the characters grabbed the wheel and took a hard left where I’d expected a right. My understanding of Joseph Dryden’s background as Special Forces grew as I wrote about Afghanistan, as did my appreciation for Johanna Harwood’s tenacity as I followed her journey through the Siberian mountains.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I hope it offers a homage to Fleming’s groundbreaking vision while bringing in a fresh, contemporary energy, diversifying who gets to be the hero, and tackling today’s biggest threats.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Say your dreams out loud, farfetched as they might be—they just might come true. 

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