HarperNorth snaps up 'fabulously feelgood fiction' from Merrill

HarperNorth has snapped up "a piece of fabulously feel-good fiction" from Emily Merrill, submitted via the division’s open submissions process. 

Heartbreak Houseshare is the first acquisition for editorial assistant Megan Jones, a 2019 HarperCollins graduate scheme alumnus. Jones acquired world all language rights directly from the author. It will publish in paperback, e-book and audio in August 2022.

The book follows Felicity Sage, a 20-something trying to navigate her way through life.

Jones said: "I knew from the second I read this manuscript in open submissions that it was one for the HarperNorth list and I’m delighted that it is my first acquisition! At times hilarious and at others heart-breaking, Emily has written a piece of fabulously feel-good fiction.

"Emily’s characters are so relatable that I felt immediately connected to them. Any northerner who has considered a move down south for their career or significant other will see themselves in this story. Emily very skilfully depicts mental health struggles, feelings of failure and the pressures of being expected to succeed before hitting a certain age, all in a fantastically funny way. Her writing truly is brilliant and I especially love how Emily invokes her own roots in this novel, taking inspiration from her home city of Liverpool."

Merrill added: "I am delighted that Heartbreak Houseshare has found a home with HarperNorth, and with Megan, who understood from the beginning the message I wanted to share. As you enter your 20s there is an overwhelming pressure to approach adulthood in the ‘right’ way, but no one has a clue what that should look like. I wrote this story during lockdown, as a way of helping me feel less lost. My hope for it is that it might make my fellow 20-somethings feel a little less lost too. I can’t wait for everyone to meet Felicity Sage and her housemates."