Bookouture signs Lane’s ‘exceptional’ eight-book series

Bookouture has acquired The Lost Daughters, a new series by Kindle bestseller Soraya Lane. 

Publishing director Laura Deacon acquired world all language rights including audio to the projected eight-book series from agent Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary Agency with the first, The Italian Daughter, to be published in September 2022.  

The Lost Daughters is a dual-timeline series that will focus on a group of women who are called to a lawyer’s office in London. They are told that their grandmothers were born at Hope House, a home for unmarried mothers and are each given a letter and a box which contains clues about their past—a past none of them even knew they were searching for until now. 

“The Italian Daughter will transport readers to the vineyards and picturesque villages of Tuscany and tell the heartbreaking story of Felix and Estée who fell in love as childhood sweethearts and were forced apart by family loyalty,” it continues.

Deacon said: “What I have always loved about Soraya’s writing is how immediately you take her characters to your heart and feel completely swept away by her rich settings. Soraya is a hugely successful historical fiction author but I am thrilled to be embarking on a new series which will delight her existing fans but also introduce many more to Soraya’s exceptional storytelling.”

Previous books by Lane include The Secrets We Left Behind, The Last Correspondent and Wives of War (Lake Union). 

She said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with the Bookouture team. From the moment I pitched the idea to Laura, I knew Bookouture was the right fit for me. Laura’s enthusiasm for my ideas was contagious and I’m so excited about embarking on this publishing journey with Laura as my editor.”

The Italian Daughter will be a key focus title for the Bookouture rights team at the London Book Fair. Head of rights Richard King is handling enquiries.