Sparks flies as Eriu snags O'Donnell's Cork-set début

Eriu, the Dublin-based imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired Sparks of Bright Matter by debut author, radio documentary maker and podcast producer Leeanne O’Donnell.  

Publishing director Deirdre Nolan acquired UK and Commonwealth and Irish rights from Sian Ellis-Martin at Blake Friedmann for an April 2024 release.  

Set in 18th-century London and Cork, Sparks of Bright Matter tells the story of the last alchemist, Peter Woulfe. Torn between magical thinking and rational thought, Woulfe seeks enlightenment, but instead "he falls in love with the fascinating Sukie, is diverted by lust and embroiled in a dangerous Jacobite plot involving a mysterious book, the Mutus Liber, and a cat-and-mouse chase across London". 

O’Donnell said: “The characters in Sparks of Bright Matter jumped into my heart and mind and insisted on having their stories told. They took me back to 18th-century London and even further back in time into the mythical landscape of West Cork. I had such fun resisting straightforward romantic plotlines and resolutions, going back and forth through time and following these characters the long way around through experiments in alchemy, obsessive lust and the echoes of ancient family curses as they try to find out what really matters. I’m excited to have Sparks going out into the world so that readers can meet these characters and share in their painfully human, messy and joyful journeys.” 

Nolan added: “[O’Donnell’s book] is sure to be loved by all fans of historical fiction, with its intriguing plot and fascinating characters. I was hooked from the first line.”