HarperFire pre-empts Caitlin Devlin's 'extraordinary' YA debut

HarperFire has landed A Song I Wrote for Charlotte, the YA debut from the "extraordinary" Caitlin Devlin. 

Tom Bonnick, editorial director, pre-empted world rights in all languages in a two-book deal from Silvia Molteni at PFD. A Song I Wrote for Charlotte will be published in spring 2026 with the second stand-alone novel to follow in spring 2027. 

Billed as a "beautifully written, poignant" queer romance, A Song I Wrote for Charlotte follows Connie Moore who ends up studying English Literature at university after she does not get into the Royal Academy of Music. Connie is determined to stay focused, but music production student Charlotte Owen drags Connie into university life. As their friendship grows, Connie begins to wonder if there is more to how she feels about Charlotte. But Charlotte isn’t the kind of person you can hold onto forever. And Connie might have to consider whether the life Charlotte has built for her is one she can sustain alone.

"I first started writing this book for my sister, who was curious about what her first year of university would look like just as I had been", said Devlin. "A Song I Wrote for Charlotte is everything I would have wanted to tell my 18-year-old self about taking those first steps into adulthood, about being brave enough to be myself and about falling in love."

Bonnick added: "I fell in love with A Song I Wrote for Charlotte from the very first page. It boasts an irresistible voice and, in Connie, an absolutely one-of-a-kind heroine. With an exquisite eye for detail, Caitlin perfectly captures a particular moment of adolescence and achieves a truly extraordinary feat in her balancing of sorrow and joy—effortlessly moving between hilarious, laugh-out-loud writing on one page to heartbreak and poignancy on the next. We are delighted to be publishing this incredible YA debut for Harper Fire from an enormous new talent."