Orion acquires Kelly’s ‘uplifting’ début novel

Orion Fiction has acquired TV presenter Lorraine Kelly’s “uplifting” début novel. 

Publisher Sam Eades acquired world rights to The Island Swimmer, as well as one other novel set in the Orkney Islands from Carly Cook at Carly Cook Agency in collaboration with Miranda Chadwick and Jamie Slattery at Mirador Talent Management. The Island Swimmer will be published in February 2024. 

Orion described The Island Swimmer as “an emotional story about grief, troubled families, connection and hope”.

“The novel introduces the reader to the irresistible character of Evie, who reluctantly returns on the spring tide to the wild landscape she left as a teenager,” the publisher said. “She is estranged from her sister Liv, who remained on the island, their lives scattered after a childhood trauma. As she clears out her father’s home to prepare it for sale, isolated Evie finds herself drawn to a group of cold-water swimmers who find calmness beneath the icy waves, despite the stormy weather. Together they help Evie face the mistakes of her past, unlocking a treasure trove of truths that will reverberate throughout the tight-knit community and shake her family to its core.” 

Kelly said: ‘‘As a lifelong reader it is a dream come true to be writing my first novel, a book inspired by my love for Orkney and its people, a place that truly feels like home. I’m excited for readers to meet Evie and the rest of the characters in The Island Swimmer; they have been with me for a long time and feel like friends! These characters are ordinary people who struggle with family relationships, money, love, ill-health and more, while hoping for a better future.” 

Eades added: “The whole team at Orion fell in love with Lorraine’s extraordinary gift for storytelling, and we are hugely excited to be able to introduce readers to the beautiful world and characters she has created, and to launch a major new voice in fiction. The Island Swimmer is an uplifting story of the healing power of friendship, as well as a love letter to the Orkney islands, its community and its traditions. Publication will be supported by an unmissable campaign and nationwide tour, and I’m delighted that Lorraine will also be narrating the audiobook.”