HarperFiction lands Harrington's 'biggest book yet'

HarperFiction has landed the "biggest book yet" from Irish Times bestseller Carmel Harrington in a two-book deal.

Charlotte Ledger, publishing director, and Lynne Drew, publisher of general fiction, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights through Rowan Lawton at the Soho Agency. The first book in the deal, The Moon Over Kilmore Quay, will be published in June this year.

The novel opens in Brooklyn, New York, with Bea, who grows up in the heart of the Irish community there, always hearing stories of “home”. The synopsis explains: “A rediscovered letter from her younger self, written years before, sends her back into her own family history, uncovering a shocking secret, and taking her back across the water to Ireland. Interwoven with Bea’s is the story of Lucy, two decades earlier, who leaves Ireland to try her luck in the Big Apple with her sister. The two stories cleverly overlap as a twist turns the lives of both women on their heads.”

Harrington is an Irish Times bestseller and two-times Irish Book Award nominee who began publishing with HarperCollins’ digital imprint Harper Impulse. Likened by fans to Maeve Binchy, her novels have encompassed domestic abuse and homelessness as well as body image in her latest, My Pear-Shaped Life (HarperCollins). She is a panellist on Virgin Media TV’s “Elaine” show and also runs a writing retreat, The Inspiration Project, with Catherine Ryan Howard and Hazel Gaynor.

She said: “As the daughter of immigrants, I grew up witnessing how powerful the call to home can be. I knew that one day I would write a story that explored the impact leaving home makes on those that go and those that stay. Lynne and Charlotte’s insightful editorial support along with the inspired guidance of my agent Rowan Lawton, helped shape this novel into something I am very proud of. I have been with the incredible team at HarperCollins right from the beginning and am excited to see their vision for The Moon Over Kilmore Quay realised.”

Drew added: "We’ve seen incredible passion and rave reviews for Carmel’s storytelling focused on real women’s lives, and I’m so excited to have acquired her biggest book yet, to launch her UK and international growth as well as setting in motion our three-year plan for Ireland.”