Trapeze flies in for Gorman's Staycation

Trapeze has snapped up a new novel from Michele Gorman about two families who swap houses when volcanic ash cancels their flights.

Commissioning editor Katie Brown acquired world rights for The Staycation from Caroline Hardman at Hardman & Swainson, for publication in summer 2020.

The synopsis says: "Things get desperate for strangers Harriet and Sophie when they become stranded with their families in Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Each woman has her own reason for really, really, really needing the family holiday they’ve anticipated for months. But Iceland’s volcano has other plans for them. When their flights are cancelled, the families swap houses and discover that sometimes the best things in life happen close to home. This ash cloud has a silver lining, even if no one can quite see it yet."

Gorman, born in the US but now living in London, is the writer of seven previous novels, penning comedies under her own name and romcoms as Lilly Bartlett. Trapeze say she has sold 450,000 copies of her books, published by PRH and HarperCollins, worldwide

She said: “There’s such a wonderful pool of energy, enthusiasm and experience under the Orion umbrella and with so many in-house champions for this book, it already it feels like my writing voice has found a home. In addition to writing cosy romcoms as Lilly Bartlett, I adore writing comedy that explores women’s lives and friendships. It’s been a joy to indulge that with The Staycation and I can’t wait for readers to meet Harriet and Sophie next summer.”

Brown added: “Michele is one of the smartest writers out there, delivering sharp novels with emotional depth that readers fall head-over-heels in love with. I’m sure many more of us will be ‘staycationing’ next year, in an attempt to reduce our carbon footprint, or due to the uncertainty of Brexit, or both, but what I do know is this novel is a salve for these tumultuous times.”