Hogan moves from Two Roads to Corvus in a two-book deal

Hogan has moved from Two Roads, which published her previous four novels, to Corvus with two new books.

Publishing director Sarah Hodgson acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in The Phoenix Ballroom and one other novel from Lisa Highton at Jenny Brown Associates.

North American rights went to Rachel Kahan, vice-president and executive editor at HarperCollins. The Phoenix Ballroom will be published in hardback and trade paperback in the summer of 2024, with a paperback following in spring 2025.

The Phoenix Ballroom, “a story of hope and second chances across the generations”, tells the story of recently widowed Venetia Hamilton Hargreaves, who is left with a huge house, a bank balance to match and an uneasy feeling that she’s been sleepwalking through the last 50 years of her life.  Determined to live fully again, she embraces life with an enthusiasm and purpose she’d forgotten she could muster.

The synopsis goes on: “Buying the dilapidated Phoenix Ballroom, and with it a drop-in centre and spiritualist church, could be seen as reckless, but Venetia’s generosity, courage and kindness provide a refuge for a touching cast of damaged and lonely people who find their chosen family. As their stories intertwine, long buried secrets are revealed, missed opportunities seized and lives are renewed, and the Phoenix lives up to its name."

Hogan said: “I’m delighted to be starting a new chapter in my writing career with the team at Corvus and Atlantic Books. Since our first meeting, I have been convinced that this is the perfect home for me and my books.”

Her previous four novels – The Keeper of Lost Things, The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes, Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel and Madame Burova –  were published by Two Roads, an imprint of Hachette.

Hodgson said: “Filled with Ruth’s trademark wit and warmth, The Phoenix Ballroom is one of the most uplifting novels I have read in the last few years and will instantly fill anyone who reads it with a warm glow.”