OOC DTP funded Creative Writing student Zoë D. Marriott has signed a book deal to publish her PhD novel, THE MOONLIT MAZE, with prestigious Big Five publisher Headline.
A gripping mystery, THE MOONLIT MAZE is also a spellbinding love story. Set in the windswept Yorkshire village of Winterthorne, the novel opens in 1924 when a young woman slips away from a glittering ball at Kearsley Castle and into the maze to meet a mysterious someone. By the morning, the grand house is in ashes, two bodies have been removed, and the events of that night swiftly covered up. Decades later, a newcomer to the village discovers the ruins, and realises that the past is destined to repeat itself until a dark secret is laid bare and a past wrong made right.
Publisher Sherise Hobbs acquired World rights from Kate Shaw at The Shaw Agency, with Goldmann victorious in the German auction.
Sherise Hobbs says: ‘As soon as I started reading the manuscript, I was entranced by wild, beautiful Winterthorne. I love a novel where the past and present intertwine, and this gripping story of forbidden love, betrayal and atonement speaks of the power of secrets to hold you captive – and to set you free.’
THE MOONLIT MAZE will release in hardback in the first half of 2025.
