HQ pre-empts Georgina Moore's 'stunningly accomplished' debut in two-book deal

HQ has pre-empted The Garnett Girls and one untitled book by Georgina Moore, an award-winning book publicist who is deputy m.d. of Midas PR agency.   

Kate Mills acquired British Commonwealth rights from Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown. Moore’s debut will be published in hardback in spring 2023 and follows three sisters, Rachel, Imogen and Sasha Garnett, in the years after their father abandoned them and their mother, Margo. 

Mills said: “The Garnett Girls just swept me and the whole HQ team away. It’s a stunningly accomplished debut: richly drawn, utterly compelling and with a huge heart. We’ve waited years for a new voice like this in contemporary fiction. Reading it was like becoming part of the Garnett family, with all the warmth, quirks and secrets that families share. We’re hugely excited to be launching Georgina’s debut novel at HQ and very much look forward to sharing this sensational debut with readers everywhere.” 

Moore commented: "I am so happy to have found such a special home for The Garnett Girls. Kate, Lisa and everyone at HQ have bowled me over with their passion to publish it, and as a huge admirer of all that they achieve for their authors, I feel so privileged that I will be working with them."

The book's synopsis explains: "Since their parents’ tempestuous marriage imploded when Rachel, Imogen and Sasha Garnett were children, they have been living in the shadow of what happened when their father abandoned them and their mother, Margo. Each is paying a price for the events which tore their family apart. Rachel is desperate to escape Sandcove, the crumbling family home which looms large in all their lives, but it is now her responsibility. Imogen knows her mother wants her to marry the right man, but her life is taking an unexpected turn. And the youngest, Sasha, is trying to bridge the gap between them all, despite having unearthed a secret that will finally break the wall of silence Margo has built around what really happened to their father."

Summerhayes said: “Everything about this deal says everything about why I bloody love publishing—George is inspirational as a publicist and now as a debut author—and the passion from the team at HQ was just magical. I'm so, so thrilled to be on this amazing journey with a fabulous team.”