FutureBook's Molly Flatt signs debut deal with Pan Mac

Molly Flatt, associate editor for FutureBook and digital editor for Phoenix magazine, is publishing a debut novel, set between the cafés of Shoreditch and the wilds of Orkney, with Pan Macmillan.

Editorial director Bella Pagan bought world rights to The Charmed Life of Alex Moore from Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown.

The novel is described as "a thrilling race-against-time adventure with a speculative fiction twist at its heart", as well as "wry and witty with a hint of romance". It centres around a hip East London start-up, where everything's suddenly going right for founder Alex Moore. But when bizarre events start happening, including being accused of murder by a wild-eyed stranger, getting away to the remote Orkney Islands seems like a great idea – that is, until Alex stumbles upon an ancient secret, causing her to realise her meteoric success has royally messed it up.  According to Pan Macmillan, "Alex's voice is hugely engaging as she faces questions such as what makes us 'us' and whether we'd be truly happy if our worst selves were trimmed away".

Flatt said: "I am over the moon that Bella and her colleagues at Pan Macmillan enjoyed my book. This feels like the start of a very exciting journey and I feel incredibly lucky to have such a smart, passionate team by my side."

Pagan said: "I absolutely adored The Charmed Life of Alex Moore. It was exhilarating, warm, amusing and full of heart. Alex's story also touches on some very modern fears, as so many of us strive to live up to society's definition of success in work, in love and in life. I'm excited for those yet to read it."

Flatt is a journalist who specialises in the impact of technology on publishing, culture and identity. As well as associate editor for FutureBook and digital editor for Phoenix magazine, she is associate editor for the Memo, and writes regularly for publications such as the BBC and the Guardian. Her debut novel was begun on the six-month Faber Academy 'Writing a Novel' course. 

Pan Macmillan will be publishing The Charmed Life of Alex Moore in spring 2018.