HarperFiction secures multi-book deal with Harrington

HarperFiction has secured a multi-book deal with Irish bestseller Carmel Harrington. 

Lynne Drew, publisher for general fiction, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, for two books from Rowan Lawton at The Soho Agency. The first book in the deal, The Girl from Donegal, will publish in March 2023 in Ireland and the UK, and July in Australia and New Zealand. 

The Girl from Donegal moves from “Ireland’s wild Atlantic coast to the sands of Bermuda and the Canadian Rockies”. The publisher said it plans "to grow bestseller Harrington to an even bigger international audience”. The author has twice been shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards.  

Drew said: “Carmel’s powerful and emotional storytelling is the strongest I’ve seen it in this sweeping epic that encompasses a historical strand for the first time, inspired by true events around a ship sailing from Ireland during the Second World War. This unforgettable novel will reach an even bigger readership than ever before. I can’t wait to see readers fall in love with The Girl from Donegal.” 

Harrington added: “Every new book feels special, but this one, inspired by a short, fateful account I stumbled across in a historical archive, is a thrilling new departure for me. I wanted to write a timeless and unforgettable love story of the past and present, multi-layered with emotional surprises and reveals, so that it could be re-read many times. And I’m immensely excited to share The Girl from Donegal with booksellers and readers, old and new.”