Orion poaches Donna Douglas for new saga series

Donna Douglas is moving to Orion for a new series of books set in Yorkshire during World War II.

The author, who published both The Nurses of Steeple Street series and The Nightingale Girls series with Cornerstone/Arrow, will publish three books in the "dramatic and heartwarming" series, starting with A Mother’s Journey, based around little-known true stories from the Blitz.

Named The Yorkshire Blitz trilogy, it will be supported by a "huge" sales, marketing and PR campaign, with a year round focus, to relaunch Douglas as a must-read brand author. Douglas’s first novel was published in 2012, and she has since gone on to sell almost 550,000 copies through TCM, earning over £2m. 

Katie Brown, senior commissioning editor for Trapeze, acquired world English rights in the three-book series from Caroline Sheldon at Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency to publish on the Orion Fiction imprint.

Brown said: "I am ecstatic to be publishing Donna’s new series: the evocative northern setting, the backdrop of the Blitz and the affects of the war on Hull, and the portrayal of working-class family life were a winning combination for me. Paired with Donna’s startlingly clever writing and her meticulous research, going to extra lengths to bring historical accuracy to her fiction for her readers’ enjoyment, meant I fell head over heels for this series. Her readers – old and new – are going to fall in love with these new characters and discovering the secrets of Jubilee Row."

Douglas added: "I’m thrilled to be joining the Orion family. All the team have been so welcoming and supportive, and I’m really looking forward to starting a new chapter in my writing career with them. I’m also very much looking forward to bringing a brand new saga series out into the world, which I hope readers will love as much as I do."