‘Heartwarming’ novel from winner of Cheshire Novel Prize 2023 scooped up by Headline 

Headline has acquired Louise Jensen Duffy’s Winifred Peters Is Not Sorry for Her Loss, which won the 2023 Cheshire Novel Prize under the name Mrs P Goes to Town.

Publisher Sherise Hobbs bought World rights from Katie Fulford at Bell Lomax Moreton, and Headline Accent will publish in trade paperback in April 2026.

Set in 1930s Australia, the “coming of middle age” novel follows a 64-year-old woman who receives an unexpected windfall when her overbearing husband dies.

When she meets a young wife seeking refuge from a violent marriage, the synopsis continues, Winifred takes her under her wing and the two women, who have never left their outback town, embark on an adventure, finding freedom and a second chance at life.

Sherise Hobbs said: "Think ‘Thelma and Louise’ but travelling across the Outback in sensible shoes. This witty, warm-hearted novel celebrates the triumph of female friendship in a world governed by men. Fans of ‘Mrs Harris Goes To Paris’, Miss Benson’s Beetle and Joanna Nell will be cheering on the redoubtable Winifred Peters!"

Louise Jensen Duffy, an Australian author based in Yorkshire, said: “I’m thrilled that my quirky Winifred Peters (or Mrs P, as she’s known), inspired by female friendships and found family, has found her home among the Headline family. Like myself, she’s on her way from life in a small Australian country town, to travel and adventure beyond her expectations.”