Nearly

For years, Adrian Beale has helped other actors find their next job. Now his own name is on the agency door, and there is nobody upstairs to blame when things go wrong.

Couszins Beale is open for business. With Fiona as his partner and Ruth and Mei-Lin keeping the office moving, Adrian wants to build an agency where clients get honest answers, proper attention and someone willing to make the extra call. Preferably without spending every evening worrying about whether he has done enough.

There is plenty to keep him occupied. Ned's enthusiasm requires occasional supervision. A familiar client is considering a different future. An introduction at a martial-arts class leads somewhere Adrian did not expect. Between auditions, contracts and cups of tea, the team begins to discover what running their own place really means.

Then Adrian gets a chance to return to acting.

Reading other people's scenes is one thing. Standing in front of a camera again is another. Away from the office, he must learn to trust the team he has helped build-and make room for the work and the people he loves.

Warm, funny and quietly tender, Pencilled is the third novel in Matt R. Butcher's Nearly series. A story about fresh starts, professional nerves and the small acts of care that rarely make it onto anyone's CV.