Hodder Fiction pre-empts two from debut Holdich

Hodder Fiction has snapped up Julie Tudor Is Not A Psychopath and a second novel by début writer Jennifer Holdich. 

Commercial fiction publishing director Phoebe Morgan pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights to the two books from Ariella Feiner at United Agents, the first for publication in spring 2025. Hodder said Julie Tudor Is Not A Psychopath follows “a hilariously delusional 49-year-old office worker who is convinced her colleague is in love with her⁠—with murderous results”.

Holdich said: “It’s been fun developing Julie from a voice in my head to a fully formed character and polishing her, with Ariella, to get to this point. Now, I’m looking forward to working with Phoebe to finish her, and get her out into the world.” 

Morgan added: “I haven’t met a character I loved as much as Julie in a very long time. With shades of Eleanor Oliphant, Julie is a truly hilarious, unique creation and you cannot help but root for her, even as her behaviour becomes more and more deranged.

“Julie’s not a psychopath, she’s not a stalker, and she’s definitely, definitely not a serial killer. She knows her colleague Sean is in love with her⁠—he just needs to stop pretending…after all, what’s a little murder in the name of true love?” 

Holdich obtained an MA in Scriptwriting in 2013, won the Cardiff Writers’ Circle Short Story competition in 2021 and has had multiple short stories and pieces of flash fiction published.