Fleet scoops Séamas O’Reilly’s debut novel

Fleet has scooped the debut novel from Observer columnist and author of the memoir Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?, Séamas O’Reilly.  

Fleet editorial director, Rhiannon Smith, will publish Prestige Drama in the UK and Commonwealth in May 2026 alongside Reagan Arthur, senior vice-president, publisher at Cardinal, an imprint of Hachette Book Group and Grand Central Publishing, publishing in the US. Harriet Poland at CAA currently represents O’Reilly.

In the novel, Derry is abuzz with news that famous American actor Monica Logue has flown to the city and will be starring in a new series set during the Troubles.

The synopsis states: "When she goes missing, we follow the city’s cast as they all try to locate themselves in Monica’s disappearance."

Smith said: "From bizarre Twitter threads to his hilarious, poignant memoir, Séamas’ writing is always a riot and his debut novel is no exception. With an incredible cast of characters and unforgettable voices, Prestige Drama is a treat from start to finish – readers are going to love it and I’m delighted to be publishing it next year."

O’Reilly said: "I’m excited to be releasing my first novel with Fleet, after the great experience I had with my memoir, Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?. Like that book, Prestige Drama is rooted in my hometown of Derry and in themes of family, grief and memory. Its central plot of a big budget TV studio making a series about the Troubles, and the multiple characters navigating this production, widens the canvas to explore how we tell stories about ourselves, and who gets the right to tell them. If Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? was a funny book about being sad, Prestige Drama might be a comic novel about anger, and all that comes in its wake."